Pretty Cure Monster Mania
by MonoTheMonochrome
Summary: [Fanseries] Of all the days she can oversleep, Yuina Akagawa just happens to oversleep on the very last day of school before spring-break starts. It soon turns out that an old cliché has even more downsides when she arrives in a horrific scene in her classroom and finds her normal life disappearing right before her eyes as she gets involved in a fight much greater than herself.
1. Rise of the Vampire

**Soo...Hello both old and new readers! Welcome to the reboot/rewrite of my very first fanseries Pretty Cure Monster Mania! You don't need to even look at the old version to read this one (don't do it). It's pretty much a reboot with the same characters and a -very- similiar story-line but some slight twists and changes here and there.**

**I feel much more confident this time around, because I have planned everything already (and I have a beta-reader now) so everything will go much more smoothly! But constructive critism is a_lways _allowed! (feed me)**

**Also, many thanks and hugs for my sweet beta-reader, Julia Lucrezia Hanazono! She's an amazing writer and kind of an inspiration for my (read: my senpai xD) and check out her fanseries too! You won't regret it when you cry your eyes out. **

**Anyways, enough ramblings! I'll leave now...so read and enjoy!~**

* * *

A small red bat vigorously flapped his little wings as quick as he could through the dark wasteland consumed by thick fog. The normally lively streets of their world were now empty and barren. The colorful houses had been reduced to piles of rubble, and a heavy fog loomed over the previously cheerful world.

''Orlok!'' A small orange pumpkin with big, teary eyes cried in absolute terror as she tried to keep up with the group. Since she didn't have any legs, all she could do was hop forward, using the two incredibly thin vines to carry herself. The bat, Orlok, picked the pumpkin up with the small claws on his legs as he continued flapping his wings. Flying was a lot harder than he expected.

A green jellyfish-like creature floating in the air beside a brown diminutive wolf, a little behind Orlok. They were in turn followed by a small, pale-white ghost, not unlike a stereotypical "bed sheets ghost". All five wore the same terrified look on their faces as they desperately dashed forwards to their destination.

"Wisp!'' The wolf called, turning to the ghost. ''Hurry up! Or else they find us!''

''Not so loud, Larry!'' The jellyfish hissed to the wolf, Larry. ''We have to reach the gate before those things catch up on us.''

As if on cue, an inhuman screech in the distance made all five shiver. The small pumpkin started sniffing again.

''Don't cry, Jacky,'' Wisp spoke with a soft voice, floating next to the bat and crying pumpkin. ''We'll find a way to become normal again.''

Jacky hiccupped a few times as the tears streamed down her face. Already her chest was hurting from too much crying, but at this point, Jacky didn't care. Just an hour ago, the five had been trying to fight the mysterious beings that had attacked the castle, but a woman clad in a rose red kimono had overpowered them and turned them into...whatever they were right now.

Jacky, who had previously been a human witch, didn't exactly take the change very well. She didn't have hands or feet anymore. Well, she had the vines coming out of the top of her head which she could use as arms but those could only do so much, and they weren't as strong as her human arms. It didn't matter, as now she was just a pumpkin with eyes...and she felt completely helpless right now.

Orlok landed on the ground and gently let go of Jacky. The bat gasped for air as soon as he sat down. His whole body ached so bad that he couldn't even stand up straight. His tiny legs burned and felt limp like he had been running a marathon.

''Take it easy,'' The wolf bowed down and started carrying the bat on his back. Wisp volunteered to pick Jacky up as the five resumed their daring escape.

A plethora of questions lingered in their minds. What happened? Who even attacked them? And why? What were those shadows?

But they weren't getting answers anytime soon. They had to escape. The ruler of their world, King Hallow, told them to go through the gate. Go to the human world and find five new Precure. Five powerful hearts who could carry on their duty. Orlok and the others had wanted to stay and help their friends but the risk had been too great. They couldn't afford to lose their powerful rings. The Hollow Changers, their source of power. If their Hollow Changers fell into the enemies' hands, who knows what could happen. They tried not to imagine the terrible possibilities.

''We're here!'' Larry panted as Orlok slowly slid off his back.

In front of the five was something that resembled a rather tall gravestone, with a small keyhole in the center. The five all pulled out small rings and laid them in front of them on the ground. Each of them had different colors: pink, purple, yellow, green and blue.

Shadowy figures suddenly surrounded the group in a frenzy, and a small splash of red could be seen in the distance.

''It's her! That woman!'' Jacky whimpered, nudging towards Orlok in fright. She cried softly into his back.

''Hurry! Open the gate!'' The bat demanded, trying to hide his own fear but his shaky voice immediately gave away how scared he was.

The four nodded and all put a hand, or paw, or vine, on the rings. Five colored lights were released from the rings and started circling around each other in the air, eventually creating a golden key. The golden key entered the keyhole in the gravestone and caused it to open like a door, revealing a portal. Inside the portal was a mass of swirling colors.

''Hey! There they are! By the gate! Everyone! Hurry!'' A voice cried from nearby. The five stiffened and the jellyfish floated back.

''Fincent?''

The green jellyfish, Fincent, nodded. His big eyes were brimming with determination, yet couldn't hide his fear in any way.

''I'll hold them back,'' He decided with another nod and stared at the ground for a moment. ''Maybe I'll be able to find dad...''

Due the abrupt attack, nobody had time to prepare or say goodbye. Out of the five, Fincent was the only one who had a blood-related family-member left. His father.

But without his ring, he wasn't powerful enough and he couldn't take it with him. The rings had to hold the gate open. Fincent knew that. He knew that what he planned to do was practically suicide. But if it would prevent their friends from getting caught, he would gladly do it.

''I know you'll come back,'' Fincent smiled. ''And I'll be waiting.''

Orlok opened his mouth to object. As a leader, he felt like he couldn't leave someone to sacrifice themselves. A leader should take responsibly and protect their teammates, no matter the cost. But there was no arguing with Fincent once he had set his mind on something. He knew that as a leader, Orlok should respect his friend's wishes.

''We'll come get you soon!'' Orlok grabbed a shaking Jacky and he, together with Larry and Wisp, jumped into the portal as they took the five rings with them.

Fincent took one last look at his four friends as they disappeared in the lights. He let out a shaky laugh and puffed his chest forward while he rushed towards the shadows. No turning back now.

''It's a promise then.''

* * *

**Op:** 'Take a Step' by ChouCho  
**Episode 1:** Rise of the Vampire

* * *

''No, Mitsuko! He's lying!'' A voice cried dramatically. ''He doesn't really love you! It's about your money!''

A girl with magenta-colored locks reaching her shoulders clamped a pillow tightly against her chest as she sat on her bed. Her equally pink eyes stared intensely at the small television. The room was completely dark, and the glowing television was the only source of light.

''Yuina?!'' The door swung open and her mother appeared with an irritated expression, making the girl jump in surprise. ''You're still up!? It's already past midnight!''

The girl, Yuina, grimaced and looked away from her mother's stern and slightly disappointed look. Uh-oh, Busted...

Her mother didn't say anything. She just stared at her daughter with a frown.

''Yuina...you're fifteen. I trust that you're old enough to decide when you go to sleep,'' Her mother said with a frown. ''But it's a little too late. You'll never get enough sleep like this!''

''But mooooom...'' Yuina whined with a pout, ''I only wanted to finish this episode of Secrets and Tears! It's really intense because-!''

Then Yuina started rambling about the simply confusing story-line of her beloved drama-series. Actually Yuina would only finish this episode and then go to sleep. That was what she told herself four episodes ago...but the cliffhangers were unbearable! She had to find out what happened next!

Mother raised an eyebrow as she let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

''Sweetie,'' She said, her voice soft. ''Only one more day of school and you have spring break, so-?''

''Yeah, yeah. I know,'' Yuina shrugged as a yawn escaped her mouth. Now that she thought about it, she actually was rather sleepy and her eyes were becoming more and more heavy with each passing second.

Gently, her mother kissed Yuina's forehead as turned off the lights and exited the bedroom. ''Just finish your latest episode and then go to sleep, alright? I mean it.''

''Thanks, mom!''

''But let's keep it a secret from your dad, okay?''

''Okay!''

And as the door closed, Yuina un-paused the dvd and continued to stare with big eyes at the screen.

* * *

In a mysterious, castle-like abyss, a small group of figures appeared. Most of them were wearing dark hoods, obscuring their faces. The only one without a hood was a beautiful woman, dressed in an equally beautiful red-kimono with a floral pattern. In her hair, she wore a single, black rose which complimented her short, curly, rose red hair.

''So,'' Her soft voice as she looked around the empty room. ''Could this be the Human World?''

''No, Mistress!'' A masculine voice noted, pointing at the ceiling. There were clouds of red smoke hovering above it. ''We're not in Halloween Hills anymore, yet not in the Human World. It's a little hard to explain, Mistress.''

The shortest figure let out a giggle. The feminine figure had a black tail which waved back and forward as she talked.

''Actually, my dear Shinku, we are in the Human World. We're just in a simple house. I just used a little magic to prevent humans from seeing or finding this place. And gave it a little make-over~!''

The hooded boy, Shinku, hissed and turned his back to the girl with the tail.

''Good,'' A smile curled on the woman's lips. A weak groan was heard behind her. She turned around and set her gaze on a small jellyfish wrapped in thorny vines.

''Now, Fincent, was it?''

The more Fincent struggled against the vines, the more the thorns dug into his skin. He was shaking like a boat on a stormy night. Fincent felt like crying, and if he didn't feel so numb, he probably would already be crying his eyes out. He had failed. He had failed his friends, his family, everyone. The woman and her minions had managed to capture him and escape to the Human World just before the gate closed. This was terrible.

Finally, Fincent gave up and hung his head low. He finally conceded defeat.

''I'm sorry, everyone,'' He whispered as he let the tears roll over his cheeks.

* * *

A loud, abrupt scream pierced through Akane's ears, waking the middle-aged woman up from a rather strange dream. She rose from under the warm sheets and looked around the room, still breathing a little heavy.

''MOM!? _MOM!_'' The door was thrown open and a girl stomped in, pulling the shirt of her black school-uniform over her head.

''Yuina?'' Akane eyed her daughter with sleepy eyes. The girl grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her.

''Mom!? We have to get up!'' Yuina cried. ''It's already past eight!''

''I had such a strange dream, Yui...'' Akane mused slowly. She still seemed to be half-asleep and stared at nothing in front of her, not listening to what Yuina was saying. ''Your hair was black and you insisted you were a vampire and kept screaming; _''No, this isn't a phase mom! This is who I am!'_''

Yuina stopped for a moment to raise an eyebrow as Akane let out a laugh.

''Pfft! That's stupid,'' Yuina said, fumbling with the pale-yellow tie of her school uniform. ''Hmm, if I had pointy teeth then maybe I would be able to eat those hard candies they hand out in the mall.''

Then, in a second, reality returned back to her. Yuina shook her head furiously. ''Mom! Why didn't you-?''

''I told you not to stay up so late!'' Akane, finally fully awake, scolded and jumped out of bed abruptly before Yuina could finish. ''That's what you get! It's Karma! Karma!''

_'Way to rub it in my face, Mom,'_ Yuina thought. ''But I thought you would wake me up! You know, like you always do?'' The girl defended as she grabbed her books before shoving them into her bag. She grabbed a nearby hair brush and started combing her hair while running around the house in a frenzy.

''Sorry, sweetie. But I think you're old enough to wake up yourself!''

Yuina sighed. She had to admit, her mother was right. Yuina was 15 years old. She wasn't five years old anymore. She would have to wake up herself, without bothering her mother. Scratch that. Yuina's mother had to wake up around the same time as her. Akane owned worked at a small flower-shop just below their house.

In a few minutes, they both had changed, combed their hair, brushed their teeth and Akane had even prepared a small breakfast, even though Yuina only took a few bites of the half-baked toast. All while running around the house to find her cell phone before she put on her shoes.

''Just one more day,'' Mother said with a smile as she let her fingers between Yuina's hair. She pulled her daughter close for a warm hug. ''I have a little something for you, once you get home. So do your best today, okay?'' She added with a wink. Yuina nodded and she started running to the nearby bus-station.

* * *

''NOOO!''

This was terrible!

''STOP!''

Yuina had never been an athletic person and something inside her told her that she wouldn't make it. There was absolutely no chance she would catch the bus in time! It was already there but Yuina was still on the other side of the street.

''Waaaiiii...'' Yuina opened her mouth to scream but the bus starting to ride away made her stop in her tracks. ''….And there it goes...that stupid-!'' She growled with a frown as she saw the bus disappear in the distance. She stood there for a while before kicking a nearby stone, watching it clatter and fall into a sewer line. It did nothing to alleviate her anger. With another heavy sigh she landed on a nearby bench. ''Stupid bus.''

She rarely missed the bus. And she also rarely overslept. In fact, she almost always was one of the first to arrive. She wasn't sure why because she wasn't a fan of school at all. But she loathed being late. Everyone would stare and the teacher would scold her, and don't even get started on the sometimes absurd punishments the teacher would give. Someone even had to run 4 laps around the school, or do 50 push-ups, with books on their back. If only she hadn't stayed up so late to watch Secret and Tears. Well, it was her own fault, so she figured there was nothing she could do about it.

To pass the time, Yuina played a little ping-pong on her cellphone before the next bus finally arrived. And she played some more ping-pong during the ride. When Yuina arrived at her stop, she noticed that she was half an hour late. She gave up and resorted to walk slowly towards the big building in the distance. She already was too late, so why bother running and stressing? If she could, she would rather just head home and watch her series or sleep. But since her mother would definitely scold her, Yuina decided against it. Just one more day.

The dark grey brick building came closer with each step she took, until Yuina finally entered the building and practically dragged herself to the right floor and her classroom. Deep down, Yuina knew she couldn't run away but that didn't make her any more eager to go to the classroom. Finally, she arrived at a simple brown door. With a last sigh, she grabbed the doorknob and opened it while preparing for those annoying stares.

But the kind of scene that was currently playing out in the classroom wasn't what she had expected at all. No staring faces. No scolding teacher.

But a lot of red.

Yuina's eyes grew wide at the odd sight. "What the...?"

Everybody was laying on the ground as thick, red fog loomed in the classroom, making it very hard to recognize the figures lying on the ground.

But there were three more figures standing in the fog. One moved and two alarming red dots appeared in the fog.

''Ah? A witness?''

The somewhat static voice completely paralyzed Yuina in place. A voice in her head screamed _'Run!'_ over and over again, but her legs simply refused to move. Actually, her whole body refused to move. It was as though she was glued to the floor.

''Get her!'' Another, deeper voice commanded.

Those two words made Yuina's mind panic so much, it pretty much shut down like an overworked computer. She still wasn't able to move. Only shake, tremble and stare. Then, a small, pale hand appeared out of the fog, grabbed Yuina by the tie of her uniform and literally threw her across the classroom.

* * *

_(Eyecatch 1: Yuina is holding the Pumpkin Box, with Miku, Wakaba and the mascots circling around her. The box opens and a lot of candy falls out of it, raining down and completely burying the group under a pile of candy. One by one, Yuina, Miku and Wakaba's heads pop out from candy. Orlok, Jacky and Larry also jump out of it. Larry growls and starts scolding the girls as everyone sweat-drops. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

_(Eyecatch 2: Orlok is fluttering around in a dark room. He briefly smiles at the camera and flies towards a throne in the end of the room. The camera zooms in to reveal Cure Fang sitting on the throne as she rests her head on her hand and grins. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

* * *

One of the figures lying on the ground broke Yuina's fall. But it didn't make it any less painful. She recognized the face of her classmate Hakamada. She seemed to be unconscious, as her eyes were closed, but still had a pained expression on her face, like she was having a very bad dream.

"What in the world?" Yuina hoped she herself was having a bad dream. It was incredibly scary seeing all her classmates, and even her teacher, lying spread across the classroom with an incredibly obscuring red fog.

It was like a massacre, like she had stumbled upon a murder scene.

Her stomach turned a few times when that thought had creeped into her mind. Yuina immediately checked Hakamada's pulse and was very, very relieved she seemed to be alive. "Thank goodness."

But that relief immediately vanished when she saw a figure approach her.

''Who are you?'' A girl around Yuina's age, maybe a little younger, appeared before her. Her messy, blonde hair was tied in two low twin tails and her red eyes looked down at the fallen Yuina.

''A peeping tom, aren't ya'?'' She said with a big, toothy grin. Yuina, again, was paralyzed in place. She did notice the girl holding something in each hand but she couldn't make out what it was.

''My, my, what a curious young lady,'' The fog cleared a little to reveal the other figure. A young man with black hair, neatly combed to the side and dressed rather formally. He had the same red eyes as the girl and stared at Yuina while holding a girl in the air by the neck. The fact that the girl wore the same uniform as Yuina immediately revealed that she was a mere classmate, presumably caught in the crossfire. Yuina recognized the girl as Miku Sumire as she struggled frantically to both breath and get free.

''Where are the rings?'' The man turned to Miku again, still holding her in an iron grip.

''Ah... Yuina?'' Miku choked out while her face was slowly turning blue.

Yuina wanted to say something. Do something. _Anything_. She wanted to know what was happening but her voice was completely gone and all that left her mouth were short gasps.

''You know what they say: Curiosity killed the cat!'' The red-eyed girl let out a hard, croaky laugh as if she had told the joke of the century.

''Stop joking around. Kill her!'' The man demanded with a snarl. The girl grimaced with a frown but obeyed the command as she licked her lips while taking a few more steps towards Yuina.

Kill her? _Kill!?_

Somehow, fear gave birth to a small piece of courage. Yuina clenched her fist and, with her eyes closed, hit the girl's jaw with so much force, the girl lost her balance and fell on her back. Out of her hand jumped two small creatures, immediately flying towards Yuina's face. Out of reflex, Yuina slapped the two away with a shriek.

''N-no! Please! We aren't with them!''

Yuina blinked a few times. Her hand was still lifted in the air. What were laying in front of her were two things she hadn't at all expected to see today.

A small, red-colored bat with a small, red bow and a single lock of black hair on his small head and a tiny, palm-sized pumpkin with big, purple eyes.

And they had spoken? To her? A talking bat and a living pumpkin? The more she tried to think about it, the more her head started to hurt.

The bat and pumpkin practically jumped into Yuina's hands before the man turned his attention to them.

''Kurenai?!'' The man gasped once he noticed his comrade on the ground. His brows furrowed in a glaring frown.

The girl, Kurenai, was still on her back from the hit. She spat out some blood and then tearfully picked up something from the ground

''My fang! You-!'' She glared at Yuina with a look of pure hatred, as a little bit of blood appeared on her lips.

''A mere human broke your tooth? You're so weak,'' The man murmured as he let go of Miku with one hand, while still holding her up with the other. He then simply dug his free hand into Miku's chest. The girl let out another, painful scream and another explosion of red smoke happened.

''Unleash fear upon the world, Onryo!'' The man lifted his hand as Miku was slowly lifted into the air. Soft whimpers left her mouth as she was slowly covered in big chains tying around her whole body. Then, Miku's eyes shot open to reveal pitch-black, empty eyes and a dark-red aura formed around the girl.

''Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What did you do?!'' Yuina was surprised how clear her voice sounded his time. She fearfully clenched the bat and pumpkin against her chest as she looked at the creature which had once been her classmate.

''Miku, are you alright? Miku?'' Once again, her voice came out as a squeak. Miku barely resembled the person she once was. Her skin had gotten a strange, gray-ish tint. Her purple hair had grown out, turned red, and hung over her face. Her empty eyes somehow seemed to emit a faint light from them. It didn't help that the still unconscious classmates and teacher started moaning like they were trapped in a horrifying nightmare.

''You're scared, aren't you?'' The man taunted while he helped Kurenai, still sobbing over her lost tooth, get up. The two kept a distance and watched the Onryo-Miku approached Yuina in a twitchy manner. One of her eyes fluttered as though she was having some sort of facial tic. ''Good. Onryos feed upon that fear!''

''Hey! Snap out of it, Miku! This is stupid!'' Yuina practically jumped a few steps backwards while the Onryo-Miku lifted its twitchy hand and unleashed a fast chain, breaking a few chairs and tables. Yuina cried and took a run for it, which immediately resulted in a somewhat awkward chase. The Onryo kept slashing with long chains, just barely missing Yuina.

''Do you want to save this girl? And everyone in this room?'' The bat in Yuina's arms asked. He seemed surprisingly calm.

That was an odd question. Yuina wasn't even sure what made the bat say that but judging from the way he spoke, the bat probably had a plan...and Yuina was probably going to be the one carrying that plan out. If she said yes, she somehow knew her life wouldn't be the same as it was before. That was just a hunch, sure. A stupid little hunch. But even she knew that stupid could sometimes be a good thing. Sometimes. And even if she said no, she would surely be ripped to shreds, or worse, by the Onryo-Miku. She didn't really had a choice to begin with.

She didn't want to die. She had a life to live.

''I do,'' Yuina's voice was barely a whisper. She had decided. She did want to help. She wasn't sure why. Miku, and everyone in the classroom, wasn't that important to Yuina. But she definitely wouldn't stand for unnecessary deaths. Yuina wasn't that uncaring and selfish. She was still a human, after all, and she would make everything alright again. At least for now. ''_I DO!_''

After almost shouting those two words, a faint, pink light came from something the bat had hidden under his wings. He revealed a small ring with a pink crystal in it. Said crystal was the source of the light.

''It's reacting! That means you are the one! You are my successor!'' The bat cried and handed her the ring. When her fingertips touched the ring, the light became even more radiant.

''Successor? What?''

''Onryo, hurry up!'' The man's loud, sharp cry threw Yuina back to reality just in time to avoid being caught in the Onryo-Miku's chain. The monster stared at Yuina with its empty eyes, then did something that sounded like a hiss and charged at the girl.

But the Onryo wouldn't have made it in time. Yuina already slipped the ring on her index-finger.

**''Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!''** The words had suddenly appeared on the tip of her tongue, begging to be said.

Yuina gently pressed her lips against the crystal. Almost immediately, Yuina was engulfed in a pink light and brought to what seemed to be another dimension, completely isolated from the terror outside. Yuina wouldn't mind staying here a little longer. A sharp pain in her neck made her curl up in pain while still floating. Countless tiny, glowing bats circled around her glowing body. With a few pops, different pieces of clothing appeared on her body. A strapless, pink top with a black, sailor-style collar. The collar was decorated with a small, black ribbon. Another pop and she was wearing a black skirt, with a pink lining and a silver chain which served as a belt. The pain in her neck was gone and Yuina finally removed her hands from her neck. She noticed she was wearing small, pink gloves. Somehow, she found herself tapping on the sides of her head with her hands. The moment her hands came in contact with her magenta-colored locks, they turned black and became much longer. Her now black hair was separated in two twin-tails, both sides had pink skull accessories with ribbons. Yuina made a twirl and jumped with her arms outstretched. When she landed, with a last pop, black Mary Janes appeared on her feet, along with white stockings.

Finally, she opened her eyes, revealing two, glowing ruby-colored eyes, not unlike the man's. She draped her left arm in front of her chest and posed with a cocky grin as she announced herself.

**''Pure blood lust, defeating you is a must! The charming vampire of the night, Cure Fang!''** Countless small bats flew around the girl as she posed and disappeared as soon as they returned to the classroom.

When Yuina got a hold on herself, she could tell something was different. ''Eh? What? What in the world?! What the freak just happened?! I look so….so….'' Yuina, or Cure Fang, immediately inspected her outfit with a frown as her face grew just as red as her eyes. ''STUUUUUUUPID!''

''Cure..? Wait a sec! Aren't you guys supposed to be the Precure?'' Kurenai cried, still holding a hand over her mouth. With her free hand, she pointed at the bat and pumpkin.

''Your leader may have taken away our ability to fight by turning us into these forms,'' The bat began with a grin. He seemed to have found his lost pride. ''But Cure Fang will be the first to continue our legacy!''

''Huh?'' Cure Fang interrupted. ''I'm not continuing any legacy! I just want to bring everything back to normal!"

With the Onryo unleashing another chain towards Cure Fang, their bickering had to wait a moment. The chain did hit Fang this time, with so much force, the air was pressed out of her lungs as she was sent flying against the wall. She quickly managed to get back up, and it was then that something in her body took over. It was like having an adrenaline rush. Fang rushed towards the humanoid-monster and punched it straight in the face.

When the Onryo fell on its back with a weak moan, Fang didn't even took a moment to catch her breath and immediately turned to the man, who still stood in the corner of the room watching the scene unfold. His face was very hard to read. Cure Fang didn't care. She dashed towards him, fist extended...

But he grabbed her fist with a single hand and managed to completely stop Cure Fang in her tracks. Without even breaking a sweat.

''Getting a little overconfident, aren't we?'' He taunted with a cold voice. Despite his tone, it was very easy to hear the surprise and anger in his voice. ''Foolish human. Do you honestly think you can take me on? Vampire Lord Shinku?''

''What? Vampire Lord?'' If she wasn't so confused right now, the Precure would be rolling on the ground laughing. ''Are you delusional or something?''

''How dare you!'' Kurenai appeared behind Shinku. There was some dried-up blood around her mouth and she was seemingly still holding her broken tooth in her hand. ''You've got some nerve insulting him, human! Nobody insults my bro! Nobody!''

The blonde girl grabbed one of Fang's twin-tails and pulled her close, away from Shinku. He merely lifted his hands and stepped back into the shadows to watch the show.

''Just because you have some pink, flashy cloth-!'' Kurenai screeched into the Cure's face. Her red eyes glowing dangerously.

''Just _shut up_!''

Everything that had happened today made Cure Fang's blood boil. Oversleeping, missing the bus, finding two freaks in her classroom, talking bats and pumpkins, creepy humanoid-monsters chasing her and turning into some magical superhero freak chick. Some kid screaming into her face with an annoying, screechy voice had just been the last drop that made the cup overflow.

Kurenai was met with a kick in the guts, causing her to take a few steps backwards while shielding her stomach with her arms.

''Cure Fang! Watch out!'' Another, less screechy voice warned the heroine, who could just evade being hit by another, glowing chain from the recovered Onryo. Instead, Kurenai took the hit which had been meant for the Cure. The blonde girl was sent flying against the wall. She left a visible mark of a crumbled hole in the wall behind as she landed on the ground, face first.

''AH! My other fang!'' Kurenai cried with a red face as she slowly get up and held her other tooth close. ''...I'm retreating. Sorry, brother.''

''Don't you dare!''' Shinku began, his face turning from cold amusement to burning rage as he watched Kurenai disappear, leaving only some red smoke behind. ''That good-for-nothing...''

''T-thanks for the warning,'' Cure Fang held the two creatures protectively to her chest. ''What do I do now?''

Before the bat could answer, the pumpkin started squeaking in fright as the Onryo unleashed another assault. This time, Cure Fang grabbed the chains with her hands as the bat and pumpkin jumped on her shoulder.

''You have to break the chains!'' The bat spoke next to her ear from his spot on her shoulder. ''...I think.''

''You _think_!?'' While first a little annoyed, the Cure found herself shrugging and listening to what the bat had to say.

''Use your fangs!'' The bat added, sounding much more confident this time.

Cure Fang tightened her grip on the chains, preventing the Onryo to get away while she took that small moment to think. Since the word 'fang' was in her name, it had to have some significance. Besides, she didn't really have any other options right now. Couldn't hurt to try, right?

**''Pretty Cure,''** She stared the Miku-Onryo straight in its pitch-black eyes and she opened her mouth, then the words just rolled over her tongue. **''Fang Bite!''**

She then bore her fangs into the chains. She could feel the cold metal against her flesh but she ignored it and pressed on. Biting harder on the chain till her teeth started to feel like breaking. Somehow, it didn't hurt as much as she had thought.

And, somehow, it worked! The chain snapped with a clang and started dissolving into thin air. Eventually, Miku's body returned to normal and she fell on the ground.

''Whaaa…?'' She murmured as Cure Fang immediately rushed to her side to help her.

But before any of them could answer, a few claps reminded the Cure that there still was another enemy left.

''My, my. What a show you put up there,'' Shinku complimented as if watching a beautiful play. He let out a cold laugh. ''Ready for the final act?''

Cure Fang planted herself in front of Miku protectively. The bat and pumpkin jumped from Fang's shoulders and into Miku's hands.

''Hey, what about me?'' Miku asked the two with a pout. ''I wanted to become a magical girl! Who's this wannabe anyway?''

Yuina could feel a vein burst in her head. ''Wannabe!?'' Like her day wasn't bad enough already. Seriously, was the world out to get her or something? Already Yuina wanted to just go home and watch more Secrets and Tears.

''Be happy you're still alive!'' The bat, in a rare moment of anger, shouted at the girl. ''Where do your priorities lie?''

'''Miku, hide!'' The Cure commanded with a shaky voice. Right now, Cure Fang was responsible for the safety of everyone present in this room. It was quite a heavy weight on her shoulders, now that she thought about it.

''But-!''

Miku's protests landed on deaf ears as Shinku didn't wait a second longer to make his move. He slided towards the pink-clad cure and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her close.

''You're quite amusing, young lady,'' He whispered with a toothy grin. ''But I'm afraid your efforts to protect this world are futile ones. Mistress Onibara will create an eternal halloween. An utopia for monsters! A true-! ''

Shinku's dramatic speech was interrupted by an unbearable pain. Sure, he may have much resistance against pain, even for a vampire, but a kick between the legs was quite painful for any man. Vampire or not.

''Please, no long-winded dramatic speeches. Those are..'' Taking advantage of Shinku kneeling down in pain, Cure Fang punched Shinku in the chest, sending him flying against the wall. ''.._Stupid_!''

''Wow! Nice one hehe~!'' Miku cheered from the side-lines while giving her two thumbs-ups.

Cure Fang clenched her fist while approaching the fallen man.

''You..you...'' He spat some foul words before disappearing, just like his comrade had done a few moments ago. When he was completely gone, the red smoke faded and the classroom was restored to normal.

In a single blink of an eye, Cure Fang had de-transformed and stood in the opening of the classroom as everyone started regaining their consciousness. Most of them looked around with confused and slightly nervous looks painted on their faces.

''We fainted?''  
''Why are we all on the ground? Gross.''  
''Were we...sleeping?''  
''Miss Morino? What happened!?''

''I... don't know,'' The teacher answered the questioning students softly while helping them get up. Miku stood in the corner of the room, her bag clenched tightly against her chest as she looked at Yuina.

The teacher's gaze then also turned to Yuina, still standing in the doorway. Despite knowing very well what had happened while everyone was out, Yuina looked more confused then anyone in the whole room.

''Yuina Akagawa, you're late,'' Ms. Morino's confused look had made way for her usual, stern and slightly dramatic attitude. ''Three laps around the school, after class.''

''Awww! Come on!'' Yuina's mouth dropped in utter disbelief. Miss Morino was known, and infamous, for her strange punishments, more fitting for a drill-sergeant than a teacher. Yuina had heard rumors that she actually had been in the army. But still, Yuina had saved them all and that was her thanks? Running around the school three times? How stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

This wasn't at all what she had expected her last day of school to be like.

* * *

**ED:** 'Delusion Disco!' - Yoshino Nanjo (Yuina)


	2. Magical Debut

**As Always thanks to my beta-reader, Julia, and everyone reading this. Feel free to leave your thoughts!**

* * *

A resounding slap echoed in the castle-like abyss. The palm of a hand crashed against someone's cheek. Everyone turned away from the two figures, not wanting to get involved with the bickering siblings.

''What was that for!?'' Kurenai cried, holding her pale hand against her red, swollen cheek.

''For leaving your own brother on the battlefield. You coward.''

Kurenai wanted to say something back, but the dangerous, intimidating glare Shinku was wearing sent a shiver down her spine. As soon as she made eye contact, all words that formed in her head vanished. All she could do was force her mouth shut and look away. She couldn't help but notice that talking without her two fangs made her sound odd.

''Did that girl really-?'' Shinku trailed off as he pretty much forced his hand into her mouth. She didn't resist at all as Shinku looked at the two empty gaps where once the powerful fangs had been. ''Impossible. They're really gone.''

''I'm sorry.''

''It's alright. Sorry,'' Shinku put a pale hand on Kurenai's shoulder. ''I'll admit that I panicked and lashed out at you.''

''Don't worry, bro. We'll just try again and beat her-!''

Finally, the kimono clad woman interrupted the conversation simply by entering the room. She didn't even need to open her mouth to silence the four figures present. The woman took a seat on a big chair at the head of the table. Immediately, a black cat jumped on her lap and purred as the woman gently stroke her hands over the cat's back.

''Shinku, Kurenai,'' She sighed as she held up a hand. ''You failed to destroy those Precure, and it only lead to the birth of a new generation.''

Shinku gulped quietly. Kurenai hid behind her brother, staring at the ground beneath her feet. Both siblings feared the wrath of their leader. A formidable woman she was. Oddly enough, the woman's lips curled upward into a smile. ''But..you did collect quite a serviceable amount of fear. Good job.''

''T-thank you, Mistress Onibara,'' Shinku bowed and grabbed his sister by the hair to force her to do the same. ''We'll immediately depart to colle-!''

''That won't be necessary, Shinku,'' Onibara interrupted calmly.

Shinku gasped ''Why?''

''It wouldn't be fair if the others didn't get a chance, wouldn't it?'' Onibara's ruby eyes shifted around the room. If it weren't for a few bright lights in the corners, the room would be completely dark. A long table stood in the center with a big television on the right.

Her sight stopped at the only person in the room who hadn't said anything. A slender, pale young man sat in the corner of the room by the television. He wasn't watching, the television wasn't even on. He was simply shuffling some cards in his hands while he stared at the ceiling with a bored expression.

''Boneys.''

The sound of his name made the pale man jump a little and turn around. ''Hm? Whaaa?'' He asked and his tone immediately revealed he hadn't been paying attention at all.

That was his response? Shinku's eyes flared with rage. ''How dare you! You joined Mistress Onibara in creating a utopia, a paradise for monsters!" Shinku turned to Boneys, who threw the cards in the air when the vampire approached him with the dangerous glare. "Without her, we would still be stuck in our world! A little respect is-!''

''I'll go.''

Suddenly, the cat on Onibara's lap leaped on the table. She did another leap in mid-air as a black light consumed her. She increased in size and as the light dissipated, she had transformed into a human girl with black cat ears and a matching tail. The cat girl's lips curled into a sneaky grin.

''I would simply love to meet this new Precure~!''

* * *

**Op:** 'Take a Step' by ChouCho  
**Episode 2:** Magical Debut~ hehe

* * *

The sun shone down on Yuina, making her sweat even more from both heat and running laps around the school building. So far, she had only run a single lap since class was over. Yuina wiped the sweat of her forehead, forcing herself to continue running. Miss Morino was watching her from the window, after all. If she stopped, she knew she would be forced to run an extra lap.

Enviously, she eyed the students passing her and going home. Stupid Miss Morino. Making her run laps around the school. Just for being a little late. And just for saving their sorry butts. Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid_.

''Hey!''

A cheerful voice yelling into her ear out of nowhere made Yuina jump and trip over her own legs. She fell face first into the dirty ground next to the flowerbeds. "OWW!"

''You alright? Didn't mean to scare you. Hehe...'' As Yuina looked up, wiping the dirt off her face, she saw Miku extending a hand to her. Slowly, Yuina took it and the shorter girl helped her back on her feet again.

''Miku? Is there some-?''

''Don't play dumb!'' Miku opened her bag and practically shoved it into Yuina's face.

When she saw the red bat and the pumpkin smiling at her from the bag, a long, and painfully awkward silence fell.

''YUINA AKAGAWA! DON'T JUST STAND THERE TALKING TO YOUR FRIEND!'' The loud voice of their teacher screaming from the window broke the silence. Not wanting to suffer her wrath once more, Yuina immediately started running again at a slower pace this time. Her legs burned from too much running, and as of now, she was gasping for breath.

''She's not my frie-!'' She grumbled softly before noticing that Miku was running next to her, still holding the bag against her chest.

''They wanted to talk to you,'' Miku said simply as she turned around and started running backwards like it was no problem. Yuina, on the other hand, was already out of breath and each step was getting heavier and heavier. It was like someone tied some heavyweight to her feet. ''Hehe. You're not very athletic, aren't you?''

That little remark didn't sit well with Yuina, especially with that little laugh of hers. It made her feel like she was mocking her. But she steeled herself from insulting her. ''I have to admit, you're pretty good at this. How come you aren't part of any clubs?''

''Heh, sports aren't really my thing,'' Miku shrugged. ''I wanted to make a Paranormal Club but...since I was the only member, they wouldn't allow it...''

''Seems logical.''

''Logical? Logical? No way!'' Miku came to a complete halt and Yuina almost bumped into her. ''Why take away my interest just because I'm the only one who loves creepy stuff, or at least the only one willing to admit it? Just because I stand alone in my opinion they think they can dominate me and take that away from me!''

Yuina stopped, catching her breath. She wasn't even halfway finished with the second lap yet. ''Uh...well, if you…put it that way...''

''Excuse me?'' The bat asked softly. ''I'd hate to interrupt your friendly talk but I would like to talk to you, Cure Fang.''

Yuina took a quick look at the window. The teacher wasn't watching anymore. For now, it was probably safe for the bat and pumpkin to stay in Miku's bag.

''I'm Orlok,'' The bat said with a small bow and turned to the pumpkin. ''And this is Jacky.''

''Yuina," She stammered. "I'm Yuina.''

''After you're done with...uh...your...'' The bat fell quiet. He couldn't find the correct word for it. ''When you're done, we would like to talk to you. I'm sure you have some questions for us, as well.''

''I do!'' Yuina cried, only noticing how loud she had said that after the words had rolled over her tongue.

She picked up her running and Miku still followed her. The short girl still made no signs that she was getting tired. She had to admit, Miku Sumire sure had a lot of stamina for such a short, stocky little nymph. "So...how did you find them anyway?"

''I found them on my way to school,'' She grinned. ''Just like an anime~hehe!''

* * *

_(flashback)_

_''Neechan! Don't forget your bento!'' An 11-year old girl called from the kitchen as she held up a lilac-colored lunch-box. ''And don't you throw away the carrots again!''_

_Miku entered the kitchen with a guilty smile. ''Ehehehe~...I'll try," Miku wasn't very fond of carrots. She didn't like how sticky they felt on her teeth._

_The younger girl crossed her arms and looked at her elder sister with a stern frown. Despite being four years older than the 11-year old, Miku was still slightly shorter than her. How the younger sister could be taller than her older sister, no one knew._

_Kaori Sumire was very mature for her age, especially in comparison to her immature, yet older, sister. Kaori often helped their mother with cleaning, cooking, and she even prepared a lunch box for Miku, as well herself, every morning before school. Since their father was always asleep in the morning from his job as a night guard and their mother being away for her work as the photographer for a fashion-magazine, she had to take on most of the parental responsibilities._

_''Carrots are good for you!'' Kaori scolded as she wiggled her index finger. She was like a mother scolding her child. With a pout, Miku packed the box and put on her shoes._

_''Bye~!'' They cried in unison as Miku started walking on the familiar road to school._

_The concrete road was brimming with heat after being exposed to the blazing sun for so long. A small white butterfly flitted among some flowers, happily enjoying the warm day. Dappled sunlight spotted the concrete road, and fresh, clean air could invigorate anyone who wanted to breathe it. Truly, it was a fantastic morning to be alive._

_To Miku, however, it was just another day, another day of boring lessons with the same people. Just like she had to endure every day. Unbeknownst to her, however, today was going to be different. Her ears caught the sound of voices yelling. But where did it come from? She looked to the left. Nothing. She looked to the right. Nothing. She looked down at her feet. Again, nothing._

_Above? Two silhouettes, one red and one orange, screamed as they descended from the sky at light speed, falling right onto Miku's face. "UGH!" The tiny figures bounced off of Miku's face, but the impact was so strong that one of her feet slipped, and she found herself falling on her rear. It didn't help that the concrete was hot, and one of her thighs happened to rub against the hot gravel. "OUCH! That hurt!"_

_Once she calmed down, she peered closer for a better look at what just fell on her face. There was a tiny red bat and an orange pumpkin with green vines protruding out from its stem. To the normal person, they resembled plushies one would get in a UFO catching game, or something that would be sold during Halloween._

_But plushies don't flap their wings and yawn. Plushies don't suddenly burst into tears. "It's hopeless! We're doooooomed!" The orange pumpkin wailed._

_The purple haired girl was speechless. Since when could bats and pumpkins talk? And bats weren't supposed to be red! There were all kinds of scenarios going on in Miku's head, all of them unimaginable. Unless..._

_"Look! A human!" The red bat exclaimed, pointing at Miku with one of its clawed wings._

_"Whoa! You guys can talk! Awesome!" Miku's blue eyes sparkled with delight. This was just like a magical girl anime! She had seen plenty of magical girl anime to know that the main characters always met magical creatures while arriving late to school._

_"She might be able to help us!" The red bat hissed._

_The pumpkin nodded in agreement. "Umm...excuse me..." The pumpkin whimpered tearfully in a high voice. ''Can you help us hide?''_

_Without asking a single question, Miku grabbed the two and shoved them safe into her backpack. She was confused, yes, but she just knew this was the beginning of a crazy and dangerous adventure!_

_(end flashback)_

* * *

"It was totally like an anime, for sure!" Remembering that scene, Miku somewhat dramatically wiped a tear away from her eye. ''But the main characters are always the ones who are late for class. I should have known. I should have been late instead of you, then I would be a magical girl right now….''

''Ummm..." Jacky piped in shyly. "there's actually still four spots free...''

Miku's blue eyes widened as she picked she pumpkin up and pressed it against her chest like she was a teddy bear. ''Really?! There's still hope! Yay! Hehehe!''

''H-h-help,'' The pumpkin whimpered, almost unable to breathe. Miku's grip was so tight, she almost cut off Jacky's airway, even though she technically had no neck.

The short girl got the idea and immediately released Jacky from her tight grip. ''Ehehe, sorry.''

''Just tell your story, I'll listen,'' Yuina finally told the bat. If she weren't so irritated and tired right now, she would probably be more curious. Already, her mind started to think an logical explanation for the situation from this morning. How it couldn't possibly have been real. All of this just had to be a dream. A fantasy from someone's sick mind!

But she couldn't. She knew it was real. She had _felt_ it was real. She had felt the pain when being thrown across the room. She had felt the strange feeling of becoming a different person. She had felt the power flowing in her body. That ring that had allowed her to transform in the first place was still on her finger. But, even now, Yuina wasn't sure what to think.

''Yes, tell it, Orly! I wanna know too!'' Miku chimed it. Needless to say, she was much more enthusiastic than Yuina. ''Tell us e-ve-ry-thing!''

Yuina raised an eyebrow. _'Orly? Seriously?'_

Orlok took in a small breath of fresh air before starting. ''We come from a different world. Halloween Hills, to be exact. This island you live on...it's where the gate lies between our world and this one's," He explained calmly.

''Hold on...'' Yuina interrupted. Already, she was confused. Different worlds? Gates? ''What do you mean 'gate'?''

''A portal. An entrance. Some kind of doorway allowing you to go from one place to the next,'' Orlok clarified.

Yuina furrowed her eyebrows. Was that talking bat mocking her? As if she didn't know what a gate was. That wasn't what she had meant with her question. She kept quiet. Maybe she was just even more grumpy than usual because of everything that happened today. And because she was still dragging her legs forward for another lap around the school. Just one more and she'll be done.

''There's a gate to another world here!?'' Miku gasped. ''Where is it!? I wanna see!'' Her eyes sparkled with the kind of joy a little kid would have if they got to go to a candy store.

''It's closed,'' Orlok's voice lowered slightly. ''It's impossible to go through it by any normal means. Only the Precure's combined powers can open it. Except on Halloween, then it opens automatically, so we can celebrate Halloween here.''

''Does that mean..?'' Miku's eyes grew wide. ''There are monsters coming to our world on halloween!? Amazing ~hehe!''

''Look at what you're saying! Monsters? Here? That's...'' Yuina snapped. She couldn't believe Miku was so enthusiastic about this. She attempted to refute her claims, but fell silent once she remembered everything that happened this morning. Flashes of the red smoke, Kurenai approaching her and Miku's transformation into an Onryo, as Shinku had called it, flashed through her mind. She shook her head.

''Don't worry. That's where the Precure come in!'' Jacky spoke up with a small smile.

''Purikyua? Like those stupid photo booth things?''

Now Orlok and Jacky seemed confused. The exchanged some odd looks before Orlok started speaking again. ''No. Pretty Cure! _Precure_! The legendary warriors who fight to protect the world from evil!''

Now it was Yuina and Miku's turns to exchange confused looks.

''That sounds really corny...''

''That sounds really awesome! Hehe!''

Orlok forced a smile. Those were pretty different reactions, and neither of them were the ones he had expected. He revealed three more rings which he had, somehow, hidden in his bowtie. Miku took the rings in her hand and examined them closely. They were identical to the one Yuina had in her finger right now, except the crystals had different colors than her bright pink. The crystals were almost colorless and dull, unlike Yuina's.

''There were actually five, but we lost one...'' Orlok added softly, holding his head low.

''And this one?'' Miku held up the ring. The dull-green crystal had a big crack in it, making it look even more lifeless.

''Fincent's Hollow Changer...'' Jacky whispered, more to herself than the people around her. ''Fin...I hope he's alright.''

Neither of the human girls knew who Fincent was but, in a rare moment of agreement, both Yuina and Miku knew it was better to keep quiet and not push the subject.

''Enough ramblings. I'll continue,'' Orlok broke the tension with few words and a fake smile as he continued his story.

''Us and three others make up the Pretty Cure. We have been protecting your world for a long time,'' He continued while staring into the distance. ''Actually, we are monsters ourselves. But we have no intention of harming humans. I'm a vampire and Jacky is a witch...Or we were until we were ambushed.''

''Ambushed?''

''By a whole army of monsters!'' Jacky shivered. The memories from earlier were vivid in her mind. The absolute terror the group had felt when they were suddenly attacked. The feeling of uselessness when they were forced to leave King Hallow behind, and later Fincent. Jacky didn't even try to hold back the tears this time. Orlok pulled her into a hug to console her, not that it would help any.

''Monsters? Like those two from before?'' Yuina asked somewhat nervously. Then she remembered something that she had been meaning to ask for a while. ''Miku, what actually happened before I arrived?''

''Not much,'' Miku said. ''They just came right out of nowhere and BOOM! Everything was covered in red! It was really freaky!''

Yuina found herself cringing. Miku didn't seem like she was worried or scared. It was like she was having the time of her life, and she wasn't even a Precure. Being in danger's sight seemed to excite her rather than frighten her. Who in their right mind would be excited at the prospect of almost losing their life? Somehow, Yuina couldn't help but question of Miku had issues somewhere in her brain.

Before anyone could say anymore, Orlok and Jacky both gasped and dove back into Miku's bag. The girls found themselves confused, but they went back to running.

''That's enough, Akagawa.''

Both Yuina and Miku stopped in their tracks as their teacher suddenly stood behind them. Miss Morino had a wry smile on her face.

''Good job, today,'' She said as she put an arm on a heavily breathing Yuina. ''You're slowly getting better and better, I see. Your dad would be so proud.''

Yuina nodded slowly as she sank down on the ground. Her legs were burning from running and begging for some rest. Miss Morino really was like her dad. Both were big sports fanatics and treasured stamina, endurance, strength, and a healthy lifestyle, all which Yuina didn't really care about actually. Sure, it was important to eat your vegetables and to get enough exercise but those two took it way too far. At least, that's what she thought.

''Yui, you should work out more!'' Her dad would often say. ''All you do is watch TV and read those magazines!''

Miss Morino bid the two girls farewell as Yuina practically dragged herself away from the school grounds. Her legs still ached with pain. Yuina sighed heavily as she sat down on a nearby bench to catch her breath and rest a little. Miku silently sat down to her and an awkward silence followed.

''Uh..don't you have somewhere to go?''

''I want to help.''

Yuina glanced at Miku. The short girl opened the bag to allow the bat and pumpkin to come out. ''I'm sure at least one of the Hollow Changers will react to you,'' Orlok assured her while he poked his head out. ''You're really passionate. I admire your energy and determination.''

''You think I have a chance?'' Miku's smile grew even wider.

''Of course! I think your chances are very high,'' Jacky added, clasping her vine-like hands together with a gentle smile.

''She's right. Since you're already a very important character in this chapter-'' Yuina began as she rested her head on her hands and stared at the sky absentmindedly. Her wry tone made it hard to know what she was thinking. She was interrupted halfway by the other girl.

''Whoah! Stop!'' Miku cried and pressed her index finger against her lips. ''We're friends now! Give me a nickname! So call me... uh... Mii~ Hehe!''

Yuina blinked a few times. She was rather surprised how eccentric the girl with the purple locks was. She rarely, if ever, was like this during school-hours. Well, whenever Yuina saw Miku, she was always alone. Just like Yuina.

''I'm looking forward to fighting with you, Yui!'' Miku laughed and poked Yuina's side playfully. Yuina felt her face turn beet red, burning with heat. Aside from her parents and family, nobody had ever called her that. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about this, but right now, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

''Uhm….''

''I hate to interrupt your friendly banter but I would like to ask you something,'' Orlok said after a while, while he turned to Yuina. The girl mentally thanked the little bat for breaking that unbearable, awkward tension.

''What is it?''

''I know that this will sound a little odd. I apologize if I come off as-''

''Just spit it out!'' Yuina hissed, her voice dripping with impatience. Immediately after spitting those words out, she regretted it. After seeing Orlok's worried look, she regretted it even more. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut sometimes? Yuina wasn't actually a talkative person but whenever she said something, she always ended up insulting or hurting someone in one way or another, not that she ever meant it.

''Is it alright if we come with you? We can explain everything in greater detail, and guide you whenever you have questions.''

Yuina pressed her back against the bench a little. To be honest, a talking bat and pumpkin in her house? She was sure that would end up being a whole lot of trouble. What would her parents say if she found out? What if she couldn't watch more episodes of Secrets and Tears in private? Privacy was one of the things that Yuina considered to be sacred.

''Can I think about it for a day? This is a lot to take in,'' She found herself gasping out.

''Of course! Of course! I completely understand that!'' Orlok immediately answered. He donned a solemn, if not guilty, look and softly added, ''I'm so sorry for dragging you into this. I promise I'll make it up to you, somehow. Forgive me.''

After hearing Orlok's sincere apology, Yuina finally realized it. While she was confused, irritated and actually quite scared from the whole situation this morning, Orlok and Jacky had more reasons to be angry and anxious than she did. She was talking to two beings who had just lost their home, their friends and their family. Everything important to them had been taken away in such short notice. When they had told Yuina and Miku about the attack on their home, their eyes had guilt, pain, and fear in them. The bat and pumpkin in front of her had lost everything, yet they were fighting against some unknown, yet dangerous threat.

Yuina's pain couldn't compare.

''Hey, Yui! Here's my number! It's easier for us to keep contact if something happens,'' Miku handed Yuina a piece of paper with numbers scribbled on it. ''Let's have a meeting tomorrow so we can discuss-!''

''You're getting a little carried away...'' Yuina began softly. ''You aren't even….''

''Soon, Yui! I'll be a Cure too!'' Miku waved her hands to shush Yuina. ''Oh! I've gotta think up a catchphrase and pose!''

''I'm need to go,'' With that, Yuina quickly walked away from the other girl and the two creatures. After hearing all that stuff about monsters and mythical beings, there was something she wanted to do right now. Just one more stop before she would go home and watch some Secrets and Tears.

''Enjoy your vacation.''

''Okay! Call me! Hehe!''

Yuina rolled her eyes. She didn't say anything and simply left into the distance, leaving the other girl and the two creatures behind. Miku waved her hands in the air.

* * *

''I have the feeling she isn't really going to help us..'' Jacky admitted with a timid voice once Yuina was completely out of eye and ear-sight. Both Orlok and Miku, still sitting on the bench, turned their gaze to her.

Orlok put his paw on the pumpkin with a worried look. Making such rash accusations was really unlike Jacky. Orlok figured this was because of how stressed out she was. Jacky had always been the 'little sister' of the group because of her emotional personality, and everything that happened had probably taken its toll on her by now.

''I'm sure she will, Jacky. Didn't you see her eyes while she was Cure Fang? She looked so determined-'' Orlok was surprised how confident he sounded. But it was true. Somehow, he completely trusted that Yuina would be able help.

''-And she kicked some monster-butt~hehe!'' Miku added with a grin.

But her grin appeared in a less than a second. Miku jumped on the bench once she had caught a glimpse of something undeniably evil, bad and sinister. She suddenly shouted without warning, ''WE HAVE TO GO!''

''Huh?'' Both Orlok and Jacky blinked in perfect unison.

''Black cats are bad luck!'' The girl pointed her finger at the small feline appearing from the bushes next to them. Its pitch black fur made its venom green eyes stand out even more. The cat looked at Miku for a moment, but then started licking its paws and washing its head harmlessly.

''BAD LUCK, I TELL YOU!'' Miku hissed as she pressed her bag against her chest tightly. Orlok and Jacky shrugged and jumped back into Miku's bag as the girl hurried home.

She hadn't even noticed the cat staring her down while walking away. The cat wiggled the tip of its tail back and forward as its eyes followed the girl.

* * *

_(Eyecatch 1: Yuina is holding the Pumpkin Box, with Miku, Wakaba and the mascots circling around her. The box opens and a lot of candy falls out of it, raining down and completely burying the group under a pile of candy. One by one, Yuina, Miku and Wakaba's heads pop out from candy. Orlok, Jacky and Larry also jump out of it. Larry growls and starts scolding the girls as everyone sweat-drops. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

_(Eyecatch 2: Jacky rolls around on a table with a kettle next to it. She smiles as the camera zooms out to reveal Cure Witch standing beside the kettle. She grins and throws some ashes in the kettle, causing it to explode. In the black smoke, the Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

* * *

Yuina wasn't an avid reader, but she still found herself in the library quite a lot. She just liked the quiet atmosphere and how spacious it was. The books were always arranged in perfect order, with no single book being out of place, whether on the floor or outside the shelves. She would often come here to do her homework and just to read some random magazines that were laying around. But this wasn't the time to be reading magazines. She had a different reason for coming here.

''Good day, and welcome to the Lucky Library.''

Yuina had been so lost in thought she hadn't even noticed that she was already inside. The owner and sole librarian of the Lucky Library, Eve Belmont, without even looking at her, greeted her from behind her desk. The woman sat behind the computer, typing something into a database.

Eve Belmont fit the description of Scary Librarian almost perfectly. She was definitely scary when people did as much as cough in the library and wasn't shy of outright throwing books at loud troublemakers. She always sat behind her desk, which just happened to be in the less illuminated corner. Even her looks gave her an intimidating appearance. She was dressed in a refined, black office suit. Thick, red-trimmed glasses were always on her nose, as was a seemingly eternal, stern glare. Her voice was cold and her foreign accent didn't help make her sound less intimidating, to Yuina at least. As did the nasty scar on her left cheek. People liked to make up theories as how she had gotten it. A fight gotten out of hand? A freaky accident? Yuina had always heard the craziest of theories floating around.

There were only a handful of people in the library. Most of them were sitting at one of the various tables reading a book or browsing through the seemingly endless collection.

Yuina walked past the many shelves. All the shelves were neatly sorted by genre, and then sorted alphabetically. She had never noticed how many shelves there were. It almost felt like a maze. Yuina never had ventured so deep into the simple library before.

''Ah, this must be it,'' In the right corner, to the wall were a few shelves with a small cut-out board reading Supernatural/Paranormal next to it.

_'Of course, it's in the farthest corner. Where almost nobody comes. How fitting.'_ Yuina thought and couldn't help but chuckle. Then she remembered that her mother said she had a surprise for her after school. This motivated her to get this over with. She grabbed a few random books and carried them to the most nearby table.

Memorable examples included: _'The Beauty is a Beast'_, _'So Your Neighbor is a Werewolf? What Now?'_, _'The Monthly Monster Survival Guide' _and _'Ghost-Hunting for Dummies.'_

_'What kind of titles are these? The stupid kind, definitely,'_ Yuina thought, staring dumbfoundedly at the detailed drawing of a wolf on one book's cover. Somehow, she managed to carry the books back to the counter.

''Uh...I'll take these,'' Yuina had uttered so soft that she had to repeat herself before the librarian finally looked up from her computer screen.

The woman raised her eyebrow as she scanned the books. She stopped for a few seconds to stare at Yuina, making the latter quite uneasy. As if it wasn't embarrassing enough to rent those stupid books.

_'She must think I'm some sort of dumb geek who actually believes in that stuff,'_ Yuina thought but almost instantly took those words back. Again, the fight from this morning flashed through her head. Yuina shivered at the memory.

''I recommend this one. I'm sure you'll find some useful information in it,'' The librarian's words brought Yuina's attention back. The woman handed her another book. A very thick book. The corners of the dust coated cover were bent, the pages were an ugly shade of yellow, and some of them even had small rips in them. Yuina shivered again as she saw the thick layer of dust on the book. How disgusting. There was so much dust it would be enough to make her sneeze. How she didn't was a mystery. Did this woman ever clean it up?

''Thanks,'' In a quick motion, Yuina shoved all the books into her bag. She was barely able to close it all the way.

''Thank you. Come again!''

* * *

''I'm home~!''

Miku practically threw the door open and stepped inside her quaint, little house. She sat down and took off her shoes.

''Ah, Neechan! Welcome back!'' Came a voice from the kitchen. Before Miku entered she took one last glance at the bat and pumpkin in her bag. She pressed her fingers against her lips to tell them to be quiet. They nodded like two obedient kids.

When the girl entered the kitchen she was met with a scene that she didn't like at all. Miku dropped her bag in shock and her face lost its color completely.

''Hey, Neechan! Look! I saw this little cutie in the garden. I thought I'd give it some food,'' Kaori, Miku's sister, sat on her knees on the ground. In the kitchen was the door immediately connecting to the garden. The door to the garden was wide-open and Kaori turned her head around as she greeted her older sister. ''Just leftovers from this morning but it likes it!'' Kaori added with a smile as she petted the pitch black cat in front of her.

''Why are you feeding evil incarnate!?'' Miku cried and pointed at the cat, which innocently started licking it paws. This was the second black cat she saw today. She was convinced this had to be some kind of sign or ill omen.

''Not this again..'' Kaori rolled her eyes. Why was her sister so superstitious? It was really silly. Miku avoided black cats like the plague, refused to have anything to do with the number 13, and a lot more odd things, which even made the normally patient Kaori annoyed.

But then fear took over Kaori's body completely. It all happened in a second, and it began with a sharp pain in her chest.

* * *

What should have been a quiet, peaceful walk back home was interrupted by the buzzing of Yuina's phone.

She searched through her pocket with her hand until she got her phone. It was some number she didn't recognize. Who would even call her? Once she picked up, she immediately knew the identity of the caller.

''Yui! Yui! You've gotta help!'' Miku's voice was bordering on hysterical.

''Miku? What is it? Are you alright?''

''Kaori! She... she... please help her!'' When she heard Miku's trembling voice, Yuina felt a tight knot in her stomach. The girl who had been nothing but excited about being thrown into danger was sounding like she had a breakdown, and the change all had happened in a mere second.

''What happened? Where are you?''

The line went dead.

* * *

''My phone!''

Miku looked in horror as Kaori, or what used to be Kaori, smashed her phone away with so much force that it flew out of Miku's hands and against the wall. It even left a small hole where it had made contact.

''Kaori..?''

Kaori looked like a zombie. Miku couldn't find any other word to describe the thing that used to be her younger sister. Heavy chains were bound around her arms, legs and torso, and was more than happy to whip the chains in Miku's direction.

Was this what Yuina had felt when Miku had gone through the same? Was it this feeling of terror? This fear? The tight chest and almost being unable to breathe? To be honest, Miku wouldn't have minded getting hurt. She was pretty much asking for it with her risk seeking behavior. Miku knew that, and she was alright with that. After all, what's an adventure without some danger? But not Kaori. She had nothing to do with this.

But actually, neither did Miku.

''Not anymore. Let's do this!'' She said out-loud and grabbed the three rings from Orlok. Hoping the at least one would react, she held them in front of her.

No light. No reaction. Nothing.

"Why aren't these working?!"

''So, Shinku got beaten by you? What a joke. You can't even transform anymore! Haha!'' A feminine voice giggled with pure venom in its tone.

Unable to find the source of the voice, Orlok panicked. If Miku couldn't transform, they would definitely be in big, big trouble. Miku still stared intensely at the rings. She begged them to do something. Anything. This was her chance. She had to save Kaori.

''Give yourself over to your fears. The onryo will devour it!''

The owner of the voice finally revealed itself. As the Kaori-Onryo came to a halt and breathed heavily like a hungry wolf, behind her the small, black cat appeared.

''Three black cats on one day! Extreme bad luck!'' Miku hissed so fast that Orlok and Jacky barely understood what she said.

The cat purred and, in a flash, turned into a girl. Her short, reddish-brown hair was unkempt and, somehow, made her black cat ears stand out even more. She still had the same bushy, black tail and venom green eyes. ''You're not Cure Fang, are you?''

Miku didn't respond. She wasn't Cure Fang, but no way was she going to tell her about Yuina.

''Why are they with you then?'' The girl added and she pointed at the bat and pumpkin in Miku's hands.

Again, Miku kept her mouth shut.

''You've gone really quiet. And you were so lively this morning and afternoon.''

''You were following me!?'' That little remark gave Miku her voice back. It all came together. Those black cats that kept appearing were all this one. ''You stalked me!''

''And you realized that just now? You're really slow, you know!?'' The cat-girl laughed as a crescent shaped grin appeared on her face. She extended her hand as her grin only grew. ''Onryo, tear them to pieces!''

That was enough for Miku to turn around and rush towards the door. She had to get out of here. She could feel Orlok and Jacky holding onto her shirt tightly. She remembered. She wasn't just saving Kaori now. She also had to protect Orlok and Jacky. In their fragile forms they needed someone to protect them against fiends like these, athe only one able to do so at the moment was Miku.

''Going already?'' Just before reaching the door, Miku was stopped by a chain tying itself around her ankle and dragging her back. She fell face first on the floor but held the bat and pumpkin in the air to protect them from the same fate. The Kaori-Onryo grabbed Miku roughly by her shoulder and planted her on the ground in front of the cat girl.

''Please, stay a little longer! We've got some things to discuss!'' The cat girl crossed her arms as she examined her catch.

''...I've got nothing to tell you!'' Miku glared at the other girl as she protectively pressed Orlok and Jacky against her chest. They both could feel how much Miku was trembling.

''If you're not that girl, then who are you? And why do you have those rings?''

''I just said I've got nothing to tell you!'' Miku repeated with a hateful scowl.

''Well, when I ask you a question, it is your duty to answer!" It was obvious that the cat girl was losing her patience. Her tail had grown bushier than normal. She roughly grabbed Miku's head with her pale hands, hshort, sharp nails boring into Miku's cheeks as she stared directly into the girl's eyes.

''Answer. Me. Human," The only 'answer' she got was spit in her face. She backed off with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. Miku not once had averted her eyes from the cat girl.

''I promised I'd help Orlok and Jacky save their friends, and their world. My world too. I promised Yui that I'll be her partner, even though she didn't seem so happy about it. But that's alright. I'm sure we can work it out. Maybe we'll become friends. Maybe all the future owners of these rings will become my friends too. That'd be nice,'' Miku clenched the rings she still had in her hands. ''You know what? I'll make a promise to you right here and now,'' Miku added with pure determination and resolve in both her voice and eyes.'' I, and my future comrades, will stop you and your evil group. No matter what it takes. We will save everyone!''

This time, something did happen. The ring in the middle began to illuminate a purple light. Miku's eyes started to twinkle brightly and a big smile appeared on her face. All the fear from moments ago had vanished in a sea of happiness.

''It's my time..'' She whispered affectionately. She almost couldn't believe it. This was the moment. The moment she had been waiting for. The moment she, deep down, was sure would never happen. But here it was. Happening.

''That's my Hollow Changer!'' Jacky noted and turned to Miku with a somewhat proud look. ''Miku, show them what a witch is made of!''

''Alright! Time to become a super cool magical girl! Hehe!'' Miku shoved the glowing ring on her finger, and made it glow even brighter than before.

**''Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!''** With that, she kissed the crystal in the ring and in a second she had disappeared from the world.

There was not a single trace left of fear in the short girl's body. Miku smiled with her heart's content as she was engulfed in a purple light and drifted in a colorful dimension. For a single moment, her smile disappeared as she felt an almost cracking pain in her fingers. The pain faded as soon as it had came. As Miku pressed her hands against her chest, she noticed her fingers had grown longer, more slender, and her nails had grown sharper than before. Her previously tiny nose had grown, looking almost like a bird's beak. Her hair was also washed in light, turning a lighter shade of purple, growing curly.

With a few pops she was graciously dressed in a lilac colored top with an orange collar, matching orange lining on her skirt and sleeves, a pitch-black corset and with a chain serving as belt. Miku clapped her hands together and placed them on her chest as a purple heart emblem appeared on her chest. Lastly, as Miku threw her hands in the air, a wizard's hat with ribbons bound around it landed on her head. A purple butterfly landed on the side of her hat and Miku grinned playfully as she jumped and twirled around, before landing on a big pumpkin. With a last pop two black boots appeared on her feet, completing the transformation. Miku spun around one last time before striking a pose. She grabbed the side of her hat with one hand and extended the other in the air like she was a bird as butterflies fluttered around her.

**"Hocus Pocus, it's time for you to focus! The magical monster of spells and curses, Cure Witch! Hehe!''**

* * *

**ED:** 'Delusion Disco!' - Emiri Kato (Miku)


	3. Teamwork

**Op:** 'Take a Step' by ChouCho  
**Episode 3:** Teamwork

* * *

**''Hocus Pocus, it's time for you to focus! The magical monster of spells and curses, Cure Witch! Hehe!''**

The cat-girl blinked in surprise when the purple dissipated and Miku descended before them with her glorious rebirth. She muttered something under her breath as the newborn Cure beamed and cheered while inspecting her clothes. The cat-girl hissed and leaped towards the Cure, her nails extending in length.

''Miku!'' Jacky screamed. But it was already too late. Cure Witch felt a sharp, slicing pain in her arm and, before she knew it, she was thrown against the humanoid monster. The purple Cure almost immediately found herself trapped between the cold chains of the Onryo.

''Owowowow!'' The purple Cure whined as she struggled to get free. The catgirl landed behind the Onryo.

''I was going to let you go unharmed,'' She hissed with pure venom in her voice. ''But you just ruined your own chance to walk away alive.''

''N-no! Please!'' Jacky hopped towards the cat-girl and grabbed onto leg with her vines. Orlok's eyes widened further though surprised at Jacky's odd yet praiseworthy moment of bravery, followed her example and fluttered around the Onryo to distract it, using the small claws on his paws to scratch the humanoid monster. Neither of them stood a chance against any of them but even it was just to give Cure Witch an opening to escape, it would be worth it.

The Cure took this chance and kicked the Onryo in the face with her free leg. She made sure to really press it deep into its face to exacerbate the paun. The Onryo made a whimpering sound and released its grip on Witch.

''Thanks, guys!'' She agility jumped away from the monster and landed swiftly on her feet. Orlok landed on her shoulder.

With another hiss, the cat-girl kicked Jacky in Witch's direction like she was a football. Witch simply caught her in her hands. ''I'm alriiiiiight...'' The pumpkin whispered as her eyes were swirling.

''Jacky!?'' When Witch saw the state of the pumpkin, she handed Jacky to Orlok. The bat took cover behind a table as Cure Witch took a fighting stance.

Cure Witch ignored the cat-girl and headed straight for the Onryo. A few kicks and punches were enough to get the monster in the garden. But no matter how hard she punched or kicked, the Onryo kept coming back up. It seemed like her attacks were more than a minor inconvenience for it.

The cat-girl followed outside and leaned against the door to watch the fight with only a small amount interest. ''Hmm. You're quite lacking in power, aren't you?''

''Of course! I need to get used to my power and-'' The cure immediately defended, but the one moment she took her eyes away from the Onryo, it took its chance to clobber the girl against the fence.

''Summon the Witch Staff!'' Jacky screamed from the sidelines. ''Concentrate and do it!''

''Witch Staff? A weapon? Awesome~hehe!'' Witch, still lying on the grass, cheered. She jumped back up and extended her hand. Nothing appeared. Not even a spec of light, like she expected. "ARG! IT DOESN'T WORK!'' Witch groaned before evading the Onryo. The Onryo grabbed her by the leg, spun around like a carrousel and let go of her. She was sent flying in the air and landed in a neighbor's hedges. The rough leaves scraped against her body.

_'Mister Matsushita isn't going to like this!'_ Witch thought as she struggled to stand up. Her whole body was aching, but she couldn't complain. This was all part of being a magical girl. She just had to try harder!

**''Pretty Cure…!''**

Huh?

**''Fang Bite!''**

Witch heard a chain snap and, before she knew it, the Onryo had turned back into Kaori, who gently dropped on the ground.

''Eh!?'' Witch's mouth dropped once she saw her savior.

''Sorry I'm late. I didn't know where your house was,'' Yuina, or Cure Fang, timidly scratched the back of her head. She stood before the fallen Witch and offered her a hand to help her up.

''Ah, Cure Fang! You've arrived!''

''And you are?'' Fang raised an eyebrow as she turned to the cat-girl.

''It'll be so impolite if you didn't know the name of your enemy, wouldn't it?'' The cat-girl took a bow with a cat-like grin. ''Kuroneko's the name~! I'd like to call myself a Goddess of misfortune.''

''Misfortune?'' Fang raised another eyebrow. How does one protect themselves against misfortune? Right now, she didn't care. Maybe just a few perfectly timed kicks and punches were enough to defeat this new villain. Cure Fang clenched her fist, ready to give this girl a well-deserved punch in the face. But Kuroneko quickly dodged and her fist pounded against the wall. Fang wailed as she waved her swollen fist painfully.

''I can't decide which one of you is more pathetic,'' Kuroneko scoffed with a giggle. With another powerful slash, she threw Cure Fang directly against a wall. The wounded Cure couldn't maintain her form any longer and turned back into Yuina.

''Aren't you...?'' The cat girl asked softly as she narrowed her green eyes, inspecting the fallen, de-transformed girl.

''HAAAA!'' Witch cried while running towards Kuroneko, who was still looking at Yuina. But before Witch could reach the cat-girl, she disappeared into thin air, like Shinku and Kurenai had done. And caused Witch to smash right into the dirt with her face.

''Fang! Witch! Are you alright?'' Orlok, with Jacky on his back, fluttered to the two girls.

''Do I look alright to you!?'' Yuina snapped with a surprisingly weak yet still annoyed voice. Fresh bruises began to form on her arms and legs, the skin becoming a steadily gross shade of purple with every second that passed. Yuina looked at still swollen and red fist with a frown. How was she going explain this to her parents?

Witch, now also de-transformed, jumped up from the ground like an athlete and rushed to the unconscious Kaori. Slowly, she dragged her sister inside and gently laid her down on the soft couch before returning Yuina, Orlok and Jacky outside.

''Is she alright?'' Yuina immediately asked. Her voice barely a whisper. She held Orlok and Jacky both in her hands. Hearing their worries, Miku nodded, before a deep frown appeared on her face. ''You stole my spotlight! How could you, Yui!?'' She sniffed with a pout. She looked away like she had been betrayed by her closest 'friend'. ''This was supposed to be my big debut! Saving a loved one from their doom with magic!"

Yuina's eyes widened further. ''What the-!?" Her surprise then morphed into anger. "Be thankful I saved your butt!'' Again, Yuina couldn't believe this girl. She really wondered how her mind worked. She had helped Miku escape death, again, and this was her thanks? Some whining about stealing her _'spotlight'_?

''Now, now. You shouldn't be like that, Miku,'' Orlok agreed as his paw flew to his face. Jacky could feel tears coming. Could these two girls really work together? They kept bickering about small things. Throwing insults at each other like they were little five year old kids who were throwing tantrums. They needed to find the others really fast.

''I had everything perfectly under control, Yuiiiii-chaaaannn!''

"You're the one that called me, for God's sake! You asked for my help!'' Yuina shot back. A vein swelled up near her temple, and her face contorted angrily. ''Don't be such a brat!''

''You may be the pink one, but I won't let you steal the spotlight and make everything about you!'' Miku grumbled as she crossed her arms with another pout. ''Pink isn't even a pretty color anyway.''

''What are you even talking about!? Does this even matter!?'' Yuina then knew she would never be able to understand what was going through the short girl's mind. She had always knew Miku was a little odd, but this completely blew Yuina's mind.

''It does! Because-!''

''Forget it. I'm so done with this...'' Yuina said some foul words quite unfit for a teen's mouth before walking away. With a last look at Orlok, Jacky hopped out of Yuina's hands and returned to Miku's side. Yuina didn't let go of the bat, who just quietly sat still as the girl walked out of the street and turned to the left.

* * *

''I'm back~!'' Kuroneko announced cheerfully upon her return to the abyss. ''That Cure Fang was soooo weak~!'' She added, taking a seat at the long table. Her eyes turned to Shinku and Kurenai, also seated at the table. She mocked them silently with her stare and the siblings both averted their gaze.

''Is she...eliminated?'' Shinku immediately asked. He looked up from a small book he had been reading.

''Nope. She's still alive.''

''What?'' He gasped. Almost dropping his book. ''Well, if she was so weak, how come you didn't put an end to her?''

''I have my reasons,'' Kuroneko winked with a purr. ''And besides... there's another one.''

Both siblings stood up in alarm, aghast at the unexpected revelation. ''WHAT!?''

''Another Cure?'' Kurenai hid behind Shinku as the two turned to Onibara. The demon wore a deep, yet suspicious frown on her delicate face. ''What are you planning, Kuroneko?'' She asked with a low voice. The cat-girl snickered again.

''I have just come up with a most interesting theory but I need more time to confirm it,'' Kuroneko's smug grin piqued Onibara's attention even more. The girl turned back into a black cat and left the questions hanging as she walked out of the room.

* * *

''Is this really alright?'' When the only answer he got was a subtle nod from Yuina, Orlok decided to remain silent as he sat in her hands. She had a tough day, and he could tell from the irritated look on her face that she was in no mood for small talk.

For Yuina, it only took a few minutes to arrive in a familiar street, but for Orlok it had felt like at least a few hours. She stopped in front of a single-family detached house. Yuina pointed to the left most window, which was closed. ''If you wait over there, I'll go inside and come get you.''

Orlok followed her instructions and awkwardly flew up, landing on the side of the window. It wasn't that high, but now Orlok got a moment to take a good look at the street. The sun was already setting, thus the sky was painted with all sorts of colorful streaks and designs. Mandarin orange, violet purple, cotton candy pink...Dawn and dusk were things that Halloween Hills lacked. Instead, it was eternally night. Orlok had read about it before, but seeing it with his own eyes was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.

''I'm home.''

''Well, young lady. I've got a call from your teacher saying that you-'' Her father started once Yuina had taken off her shoes and entered the living room. She instantly recognized that look in his eyes, and the tone of his voice. He was going to give her another long lecture. With a frown, she let out a sigh.

_'Darn you, Morino-sensei!'_ She cursed in her mind, too annoyed to listen to her father's ramblings. He was normally quite laid-back, but when it came to school-work...her father being friends with her teacher only brought trouble in her mind.

''Yui! Where were you!? You're never out this late,'' Her mother's worried voice finally pulled Yuina's mind back to earth.

''Uh..the library...and...'' Yuina tried to search for words. She definitely couldn't tell them about what happened this morning. _''Oh, yeah. I saved my classmates from being killed by some vampire dude and now I'm a hero with magical powers and a pretty dress sprouting magic and defeating evil.''_

Yuina shook her head. No. No. That wouldn't do.

''I was...with a friend.''

Hearing her daughter utter those words instantly brought a smile to both her parents' faces.

''A friend? Oh, let them come over some time! I'll make something good!'' Her mother cheered with a slightly smug smile.

''Speaking about food. We're having cheese macaroni tonight!''

''Again with that weird food?'' Yuina rolled her eyes. Oh, how her mom loved experiment in the kitchen. More often than not, she was found with her nose in a cooking book. Yuina would always see her writing down a few notes while not once taking away her eyes from the book.

''It's not weird!'' Her mother complained.

Yuina shrugged and figured it was best to go to her room now. Orlok was probably waiting.

''Your hand!'' Her mother shrieked once she laid her eyes on Yuina's swollen, red hand. She grasped for her daughter's hand but Yuina was able to pull it away and hide it in her coat pocket. ''Did something happen?''

''It's nothing! I just got my hand stuck in a door!'' Yuina gasped, shocked how loud that came out. She stared at the ground as feelings of guilt started bottling up in her chest. Yuina never lied to her parents, especially not her mother, and already loathed having to do so. ''I'm fine,'' Without saying another word, and not daring to look up, she left up the stairs.

Yuina opened the window right away and allowed Orlok inside her room. ''Thank you,'' He said softly and bowed. ''For everything you did today. I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this. I promise I'll return the favor someday.''

His voice sounded so remorseful. Yuina couldn't help but feel sorry for the little guy. ''Don't be.''

A long silence was all that remained, which resulted in an awkward air filling in the room. Orlok silently stared around. ''Your room is nice.''

Having lived in a mansion for nearly his whole life, Orlok couldn't help but feeling cozy in this simple little room. Yuina's room wasn't that interesting. It had a simple bed with pinkish red pillows and a matching comforter. On the left side of the room was a deep mahogany desk with a small black flat screen television on it, along with a vast collection of DVD boxes sorted alphabetically on the row below. Lined up next to her bed were a few small cardboard boxes, most of them filled to the brim with magazines. It was quite different from the spacious rooms in the mansion and the complex architecture of Orlok's home.

_'My room is nice? He sure has strange taste,' _Yuina thought as she set down her bag on her bed. She slowly started unpacking the books she had picked up from the library.

But as Orlok approached to take a look at the books, Yuina quickly hid them away by pressing them against her chest. Orlok simply blinked a few times while Yuina avoided any form of eye-contact all together as she put the books in one of the boxes next to her bed.

_'Ugh! This is sooooo embarrassing! He must really think I'm some stupid freak who likes reading about this stuff,'_ Insecure thoughts filled Yuina's mind as she desperately tried to think of something to talk about.

''So, how many more?''

Orlok cocked his head. ''Many more what, exactly?"

''Precure, I mean. Miku and I are just two, but you said there were more, right?''

''Ah, yes. There are supposed to be five of you.'' Of course. Yuina felt like slapping her hand against her head for forgetting that detail. Orlok had said he and his four friends used to be Precure themselves.

''Which one is next? A ghost? A skeleton? A mummy?'' Yuina asked and had listed all three monster-types she knew of, aside from a vampire and witch. There were probably many more, but she didn't know. Supernatural beings weren't exactly a preferred subject of study for her. Then again, she was never one to be interested in much of anything unless it was something she herself liked, such as Secrets and Tears. She was surprised how eager she sounded, though.

Somehow, Orlok revealed two more rings from his bowtie. They were the same two he had shown her and Miku earlier. ''As you can see this one is broken,'' He pointed at the ring with the cracked crystal. ''And another one is missing.''

''So those two can't be used?''

Orlok nodded. ''Yes. There's at least one more to join. I hope that's enough to stand a chance,'' Orlok's head sunk a little. He hoped, with all his heart, they would be able to find Wisp's missing Hollow Changer and find a way to repair Fincent's broken one. Now, they only had Larry's yellow Hollow Changer.

By thinking of his three, missing friends, Orlok chest tightened. Most importantly, he hoped they were alright. Most of his worries went to Fincent, who was presumably still caught in the villain's clutches. His paws started shaking as horrible memories started replaying in his mind like a broken cassette. He saw Fincent's face when he sacrificed himself to buy time for his friends to escape. Since the moment they left Halloween Hills, Orlok had regretted his decision of letting Fincent do it enormously. Fincent wasn't the leader. He shouldn't have to suffer for his friends. He shouldn't have sacrificed himself.

''Why did I let him do it!? I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'' Orlok suddenly cried with a shaky voice. His sudden outburst startled Yuina. He already couldn't forgive himself for his mistake. At the time, he had wanted to respect Fincent wishes. But now... ''I'm a terrible leader.'' In just a single day, every sense of self-worth Orlok had was completely destroyed.

Seeing the bat's rue despair made Yuina start to feel even more sorry for the little guy. For quite some time, neither of them spoke a single word. Yuina silently inspected the non broken ring. It was just as dull-colored as the green one. This one had more of a yellow-ish color, like a dim sun.

''This one was one with yellow clothing?''

''Ah. Yes. Larry had the powers of the werewolf,'' Orlok replied softly.

With her hand caressing her chin like she was a detective trying to solve a case, Yuina started to think. Yellow, huh? So their next member had to be someone with blonde hair. Yuina wasn't one to know much about magical girl stories, but she definitely knew the clichés. God, it was such an awful and predictable genre. She wondered if Miku was the type to like them. Yeah, definitely her type.

_'Someone with blonde hair...' _Yuina thought and crossed her arms. In her mind, the faces of people she knew started shuffling in her head like a roulette.

Yuina gasped. ''Hikaru Fukui has blonde hair!"

''Uhm... who?''

Yuina gasped again. Much louder this time, as if Orlok had said something completely insulting and rude. ''She's only the most perfect actress ever! She plays Mitsuko in Secrets and Tears!''

The girl pointed at a poster on the wall, picturing a single woman smiling and holding a bouquet. ''This is her!'' Yuina leaned against the wall and gently rubbed the poster like it was a small cat. ''Ah, she's so perfect...''

Again, Orlok found himself lost and utterly confused. This was the same grumpy girl from before right? Now, she seemed so passionate and fired up. It was like someone had pressed a switch in her head to give her personality a 180 degree turn. 'I'm sorry. I'm not really following you...''

Yuina's eyes started to shine as she was still pressed against the wall. Not for a moment her eyes left the poster with the woman on it. ''She can be our next member. Don't you see? She has perfect, golden locks! And beautiful, adventurous brown eyes! And a mature, refined aura! She's perfect!''

''I'm not sure that is how it works,'' Orlok noted softly. ''We can't choose who gets to use a Hollow Changer. The Hollow Changers choose their own users. I'm surprised humans are actually able to use them at all...''

It was quite Obvious that Yuina wasn't listening to the bat. She was still leaning against the wall. It was almost like a dreamy air loomed around her. ''I'll be her seniori! I have to be cool and reliable and-!'' Yuina's mumbling came to an instant halt when the door of her room was opened. In shock and fright, Orlok dashed in the air and landed just behind the television. All right before he could be spotted by their guest.

Yuina's mother stood in the doorway. She blinked a few times as she was met with the sight of her daughter pressed against the wall and rubbing one of her posters in pure delight. Needless to say, it was extremely awkward.

''Sweetie, dinner is ready,'' She simply said. Neither her tone nor voice had any hint of emotion in them.

Yuina didn't move an inch and just nodded. ''Alright. I'll be down in a second.''

* * *

Miku couldn't believe it. There was absolutely no way that it would still work.

''Seriously, neechan, what did you do to your poor phone?'' Kaori asked as she was busy braiding Miku's long, purple locks. The two sisters sat in their room and were enjoying their first evening of spring break with some delicious snacks and relaxing music.

Miku sighed as she inspected her dented phone. With a broken screen and a big dent in the side, it was a miracle it still worked. Albeit a little unresponsive and slow at times. Anyone could see that the seemingly hanging at its last thread.

So, every trace of the battle from earlier was gone and restored to normal...but her phone wasn't somehow magically repaired? How unfair! She had seen in all of her favorite magical girl shows that whenever something was broken during a monster attack, their magic would always magically fix them. Reality is a cruel mistress indeed. Miku sighed again. There was no way she would be able to afford a new one any time soon.

* * *

Yuina returned from the diner table in less then ten minutes with big smile on her face and holding something small in her hands. She tightly pressed it against her chest as her smile only grew wider. Orlok, who had been browsing (awkwardly, with his small paws) through a few of the book she had gotten from the library, looked at her with curious lights in his red eyes. He was still sitting on the second page of _The Beauty is a Beast_.

''Look what I've got!'' Yuina acclaimed with a grin and revealed what she had been holding. It was a little DVD box. On the box were various pictures of all kinds of people. Some old, some young. Most of them looked like they were posing for a magazine. Orlok knew none of these people. The text read in big, colorful letters: _Secrets And Tears: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 4._

''This one includes my favorite story-arc! The one where Fumiyo travels to Egypt to look for her long lost mother!'' Yuina stopped rather abruptly. She saw Orlok's confused, and slightly blank, face staring back at her. He probably didn't know, nor care about anything coming out of her mouth right now. She shouldn't bother him any longer with her senseless ramblings.

Orlok simply smiled. A sweet, genuine smile. ''Thank Goodness. I'm glad to see you being happy like this,'' He said. His smile never leaving his face. ''I don't know about you, but I'm getting very tired. So, I won't bother you any longer.''

Yuina felt a little guilty about what she had said earlier. Of course, she didn't really like having to share her room with someone else. She cherished her privacy and her sacred alone time quite a bit. She was glad Orlok understood that. He probably had a lot on his mind too. After all that happened today, it was no wonder he was tired.

As the bat lay down next to her pillow, the girl grabbed one of the discs from the case and mentally prepared herself for a long, yet fun night.

* * *

_(Eyecatch 1: Yuina is holding the Pumpkin Box, with Miku, Wakaba and the mascots circling around her. The box opens and a lot of candy falls out of it, raining down and completely burying the group under a pile of candy. One by one, Yuina, Miku and Wakaba's heads pop out from candy. Orlok, Jacky and Larry also jump out of it. Larry growls and starts scolding the girls as everyone sweat-drops. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

_(Eyecatch 2: Orlok is fluttering around in a dark room. He briefly smiles at the camera and flies towards a throne in the end of the room. The camera zooms in to reveal Cure Fang sitting on the throne as she rests her head on her hand and grins. The Pretty Cure Monster __Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

* * *

Since Yuina had spring break now, she shouldn't have to worry about waking up early. But her first free morning was interrupted by her phone screaming into her ear. ''...Hello?'' She grumbled as she held her phone against her ear. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

''I've found our first Precure mission! ~Hehe!''

Yuina instantly recognized that cheerful, slightly shrill voice. And that little giggle. ''Miku, do you have any idea what time it is?''

Miku giggled again. ''It's already past 12 o'clock, you lazy bum!''

She didn't sound angry, like she thought. Maybe Miku wasn't angry anymore about yesterday. But Yuina was now. First interrupting her sleep, and then insulting her with her stupid jokes? To be completely honest, Yuina wasn't practically fond of the other girl. They seemed as different as night and day. And that probably wasn't a good thing.

With a yawn, she rubbed her hazy eyes and waited for Miku to start speaking.

''Like I was saying….'' Miku began. Each word she said made Yuina more and more curious.

''Yeeeesss?''

Miku let the question linger for a moment. ''You know what? I'll explain later! Let's just meet up at the Lucky Library! Take Orlok with you! Okay, bye!''

And she had hung up, before Yuina could even open her mouth.

* * *

Yuina wasn't sure how long she had kept Miku waiting in front of the library, and, honestly she didn't really care. When she had arrived at the Lucky Library, Miku was already there and immediately started waving her hands like crazy when she spotted Yuina. ''Over here!''

''Uh...hey,'' Yuina greeted her with a drawn out groan. Grey bags hung from her eyes, dragging them down, and she could barely keep her eyelids open. She wobbled as she walked over to the smaller girl, like she was drunk. She was in no mood for coming here, but Orlok's pleading had convinced her to at least hear the other girl out. ''So, why did you wanna meet up here?''

Yuina finally noticed that Miku had a big backpack over her shoulders. It was like she was planning to go on a camping trip. ''What's with the bag?''

''In here is everything we need!'' Miku proudly exclaimed and hopped inside, holding the door open for Yuina.

''Okaayy...Now could you please explain what you're planning to do?'' Yuina was getting inpatient. She sighed and followed Miku inside the library doors.

''Good day, and welcome-'' The librarian greeted politely but Miku ignored her and dragged Yuina into the big waves of bookshelves.

The two sat down on an empty table in the Paranormal/Supernatural-section. Miku carefully scanned the area, and when she saw nobody in ear- or eyesight, she nudged for Jacky and Orlok to show themselves.

''Soooooo, what's this all about?'' Yuina folded her arms and exchanged some curious, and confused glances with both Orlok and Jacky.

''Hehe~! Well...'' Miku began. Her voice turned into a whisper as she inched closer to the other girl. ''There have been some rumors floating around that this place!''

''Rumors?''

''I'm talking about Miss Belmont! Seriously, what is her name? It's sounds suspicious! Where is she from?'' Miku asked and rubbed her chin like a brainstorming detective would. ''Transylvania, probably!''

''Uh... wasn't she from England?''

''Ah, Transylvania! Country of the vampires!'' Miku mused, ignoring Yuina. ''That being said, I think she might be…'

She paused. Probably to cause a dramatic effect. ''A VAMPIRE!''

Yuina rolled her eyes. Not impressed by Miku's declaration in the slightest. ''Nah. I don't think so.''

The short girl gasped loudly. ''What's with that reaction?''

''Come on, listen to yourself. If she really was a vampire, someone would have noticed, right?''

''Yes! _I_ was the one who noticed it!'' Miku replied quickly, slamming her hand on the table. ''But that's not the only rumor I've heard...''

''What do you plan to do!? Something stupid, I bet!'' Yuina rasped as she stood up and grabbed Miku by the shoulder before she could even begin to describe her crazy scheme. Seriously, what was up with this girl? She was even weirder than Yuina thought.

''Chill, just listen! This is the plan ~hehe!''

Yuina slowly, and reluctantly let go of the shorter girl. She figured she should at least hear her out.

''First, we go to the bathroom and we stay in there till the place closes and then we-!''

''What?'' Yuina spat as her hands starting shaking. Miku abruptly stopped as Yuina got a hold on her shoulders again. Yuina really couldn't keep up with this girl's crap any longer. In a loud voice, she found herself screaming at the top of her lungs, ''So you're saying that we SHOULD WAIT INSIDE A SMELLY BATHROOM FOR LIKE SIX HOURS STRAIGHT? ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZYYYYYYY!?''

''Shouldn't be so hard if we just take some books with us,'' Miku said with a soft voice. Her grin still present on her face. ''And, actually, it's only five hours...''

The red haired girl took offense to that comment. ''ONLY? _ONLY?_ LISTEN, YOU-!''

_BAM!_

Yuina felt something hard being thrown into her face, so hard that she almost lost balance and fell over. But a little helping hand from Miku prevented a hard fall.

''Hey! Wha-!?''

Standing before the two girls was librarian Eve Belmont.

''No yelling in the library, please,'' The woman hissed, her glasses glowing dangerously under the fluorescent lights. She was carrying a few more books under her right arm and picked up the one which she had thrown into Yuina's face. This was the first time Yuina had seen the librarian away from her spot. And throwing a book into her face? Really? That was quite dangerous, not to mention rude.

Yuina was boiling inside. First Miku with her crazy ideas, and now this woman. But in the blink of an eye the librarian was already walking away and disappeared behind one of the shelves. All before Yuina could verbally lash out against her.

''You doofus!'' Miku cried at Yuina and threw her hands in the air. ''Why did you start screaming? She probably heard our plan!''

Miku crossed her arms with a pout. Then she opened her bag and grabbed a little notebook. Going through the pages, searching for the right one. ''Oh, there's more! Singing voices in playground at night! There's also a rumor about a wig made from a dead model's hair which-''

Again, Yuina rolled her eyes and let out a defiant grunt. ''I'm not doing this crap! You aren't even taking this seriously! You're just going to make a mockery of yourself! It's no wonder nobody likes you!''

As soon as those last words left her mouth, Yuina immediately regretted it. The feeling of guilt punched her in the gut. No matter how irritated she was, rubbing in Miku's inability to make friends was really uncalled for. After all, Yuina was in a similar position.

It was only a mere second that Yuina dared to look the shorter girl in the eyes. She couldn't read her, normally quite expressive, face at all. She just stared blankly back at Yuina.

''Girls, girls! Please!'' Orlok came in, fluttering between the two girls, hoping to put a stop to their fighting.

The two averted their eyes. None saying anything as they slowly wandered out of the library.

* * *

''And where do you think you're going?''

The pale, almost white, young man cringed when he heard Shinku's low, demanding voice. Boneys stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the vampire.

''Chill. I'm just going for a walk,'' Boneys assured the other man with a half-hearted wink. ''What do you care, anyway?''

Shinku didn't reply. His frown was glued to his face while he fixated completely on Boneys. Who shrugged and, seeing as the vampire kept quiet, walked away while whistling some cheery tune and disappearing in a flash of red smoke.

''Tsk,'' Shinku slowly folded his arms.

''You want me to go after him, bro?'' Kurenai asked. Her head peeking from a celebrity-magazine she had picked up a while ago.

Onibara, who had been observing in the shadows, stepped into the light. ''Just let him be.''

''W-why? We have no reason to trust him!'' Shinku gasped and turned away with a thoughtful frown. Back in Halloween Hills, Boneys had been hesitant to join their cause. But his eventual change of mind made Shinku suspicious that Boneys had some kind of secret ulterior motive.

The woman didn't reply, and simply vanished out of the room, leaving the question lingering in the air.

* * *

Yuina let out a long sigh as she sat on a swing, her shoes gently kicking in the sand. After walking out on Miku, she had decided to stop by a small, and currently empty, playground not too far away from the library. She was tired and just wanted to be alone for a moment.

The bright, midday sky was a wondrous shade of pale blue, unmarred by any clouds within sight. Such brightness made the girl's eyes tear up, as that was common, as Yuina started swinging a little, her mind completely somewhere else. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe she wasn't ready for such a big change. She couldn't even cooperate with one fellow Precure. It would probably a disaster when the group would be complete.

''Yuina?'' Orlok's voice rang in her ears. The bat fluttered around her, landing in front of her feet. His small eyes looked up at her not with disgust or hatred, but rather worry. The red bat fumbled his wings together. ''Don't you think...you were being a little... harsh to her?''

''She was being stupid!'' Yuina defended immediately. Why couldn't he just left her brood alone? No, he just had to follow her! Then, she realized what she had said and averted her gaze in shame.

Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid_. She was so stupid. Again, She just couldn't keep her thoughts to herself and had managed to hurt someone with her stupid mouth.

''No. I'm the stupid one! I probably hurt her feelings. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut, like always. I'm the one that can't make any friends because I'm just so damn mean, annoying and stupid!'' Before she knew it, she started throwing all these feelings out. Along with the words came tears slowly rolling her her cheeks. ''I don't deserve any friends!''

''But, who needs friends anyway?''

An unfamiliar voice made its entrance. An anxiously pale man dressed in all-white clothing stepped into the playground. The broad daylight almost made his snow-white skin shine.

''You,'' The man pointed his bony finger at the bat, which made a little jump. ''Are Count Orlok Barnabas Edward Vladimir Graves. Am I right?''

''Oh, wow! You got my name right!'' Orlok commented with a tint of appreciation in his voice.

Yuina jumped off her seat and placed herself in front of the bat. ''Wait..._that's_ your full name?''

''Then, you must be Cure Fang~!'' The man cheered. ''What a fine lady you are!''

"Ugh!" She looked down at Orlok with disgust, averting the older man's gaze. She wondered if he was some kind of lech or pervert. Maybe worse. ''Creep! Who are you anyway!?''

The man raised his hands with a smile. ''Boneys' the name. Nice to meet you!'' The smile vanished just as quick as it had appeared. ''I'm really sorry for this, young lady.''

Without any warning, Boneys made an aerial flip towards her like he was a professional gymnast. When reaching Yuina, he dove his skinny hand right into her chest.

Everything that followed was painful and horrifying. Yuina felt like all air was pressed out of her lungs. Her eyes started turning and seemed like they would pop out its sockets any moment. Her arms and legs shaking and twitching violently while she drowned in darkness and absolute terror.

Before completely losing her consciously she heard Boneys' voice one last time: ''Unleash fear upon the world, Onryo!''

* * *

''Miku, are you alright?''

Offering a reassuring, yet fake smile at Jacky, Miku patted the little pumpkin's head. The short girl rested her head on her hand. This wasn't what she had expected when becoming a magical girl. It was supposed to be fun! Some danger, but more fun and adventure! Meeting and fighting alongside supportive friends and saving the day by kicking ass. Sure, she knew it wasn't all fun and games, but with a positive attitude she was sure she would get through.

''She's right. I'm just a little too pushy for my own good,'' Miku admitted with a soft voice. She sat on a bench outside the library, and hadn't moved since Yuina went away.

''N-No, Miku! It was her that just lashed out at you!''

''But I didn't even listen to her,'' Miku said with a frown. ''I just ordered her to come here and then wanted to drag her along without even hearing her out.''

Jacky closed her mouth and rubbed her vine-like arms together. She did have a point.

''Nobody's perfect. But that's alright,'' Miku said simply. Her frown disappeared. ''We both need some time to readjust and get used to each other, and who knows, maybe we'll end up as BFFs! Say, what was it like when you first started?'' Miku added, turning to the small pumpkin on her lap.

Jacky blinked a few times. She hadn't expected that question. Her mind dove into her memories from long, long ago.

When they first became Precure. Jacky didn't even remember exact number, but it was at least more than hundred years. She saw the image of King Hallow, handing them the Hollow Changers. Followed by loud clapping and cheers.

Seeing Larry, Fincent and Wisp stand next to her in her memories, made Jacky's chest ache once again. What was it like when they first started training to use their powers? It was so long ago. Jacky couldn't remember the details. Seeing as the five had been chosen at random. She did remember her parents and friends being incredibly proud.

* * *

_''It's time to train and refine our skills! Stop being lazy, Lawrence!'' A skinny, green-skinned man used his tentacle-like hair to push a dark-skinned, muscular man who had been resting against some rocks._

_The muscular man growled and scratched one of his pointy, furry ears. ''Fin, I told you to stop calling me that!''_

_''Come on, let's get to work! We can't disappoint the king!''_

_''What a goodie-goodie you are!'' The other man, Larry, spat back with a smug grin._

_''I'm forever indebted to the king,'' Fincent grew more and more impatient with each word being spoken. ''This seems like the optimal way to repay his kindness.''_

_''You're soooo special and noble, alright.''_

_Fincent frowned at Larry's response. ''I'm just saying that I think it would be benefit everyone in Halloween Hills if you took this a bit more seriously. You know how many would want to be in your place right now?''_

_''I know, I know. A lot. Good for them.''_

_Beside the two bickering boys, were three others who watched the two throw insults at each other helplessly._

_''Oh my, aren't they a rough couple?'' A floating, pale-white girl in a blue dress giggled with a sugar-sweet voice. She turned to another man next to her. ''I wonder who will win in a fight. What do you think, Count Graves?''_

_''Now, Wisp. No need to be so formal and uptight. We're all comrades now, so just call me Orlok,'' The man next to the floating girl said._

_''What do you think, Jacky?''_

* * *

Tears came and never left.

''They would bicker a lot. They still do even now,'' Before Jacky knew it, she was crying her little eyes out. ''I mean... before...''

Seeing the little pumpkin cry like that shot an arrow of guilt into Miku's heart. ''Don't worry! Me and Yuina will find the other Cures! And we will save your world, and your friends~hehe!''

Miku's words didn't make the tears stop. If anything, Jacky was completely wet from the tears streaming down her face..uh body? There was no way she could show how thankful she was to the purple-haired girl.

''Jacky! Miku!'' A familiar voice interrupted the supposedly touching moment between the two. A little bat dashed towards them, as fast as his little wings could carry him. His wide eyes and shaky voice were quite alarming.

Miku raised her hand to catch the out-of-breath Orlok. ''What's the matter?''

''Yu... Yuina... She's …''

''What happened?'' Miku found her voice raise. Her comrade was in trouble? She had to help her! _Now_!

''We were ambushed!'' Orlok finally breathed out from Miku's hand. He pointed at the right with his wing. ''Just... go that way!''

* * *

What Miku encountered when following Orlok's direction sent a cold shiver down her spine. Walking loose on the streets was an Onryo-fied Yuina. Empty eyes, green-ish skin, long hair over her face and covered in chains. Just like Kaori had been. But this time her arms were folded, and bound, against her chest. Her head shaved roughly from side to side, like demented owl. Seeing Yuina like that made Miku shake in fright.

Various people lay spread across the ground, all moaning weakly as the Onryo-Yuina dragged past them. In front of the Onryo, was Boneys. The man was walking, almost hopping like he was leading a fanfare. Out of his mouth came a hollow, yet somehow merry tune. He waved his slender arms around as people started to lose consciousness and fell to the ground one by one as he and the Onryo passed them.

''Hurry, Transform!'' Jacky urged Miku, who nodded as her eyes flared with determination.

**''Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!''** Reciting the chant, Miku pressed her thin lips against her ring. A purple radiance absorbed Miku and, a second later, Cure Witch jumped out.** ''Hocus Pocus, it's time for you to focus! The magical monster of spells and curses, Cure Witch! Hehe!''**

Seeing the purple-clad warrior, Boneys stopped in his tracks and raised his hand. ''Halt!'' He commanded the Onryo. Who let out a soft grunting noise and slowly turned around. Waiting for Boneys' next order.

''Hmm. You're shorter than I imagined, Mini Cure~!'' He teased with a smug grin. Witch's face grew red like a tomato. That man had just hit her weak spot with a few words.

''M-mini!?'' She squealed with a deep frown. If there was something she couldn't stand above all else in the whole wide world, it was being reminded of her less than normal height. Her embarrassment and anger allowed a few words to shape in her head. Witch raised her hands to the heavens and recited the words. **''Pretty Cure Pumpkin Bomber!''**

A few meters above her outstretched hand, countless, small pumpkins materialized and came crashing down upon the Onryo. Upon making contact with either the monster or ground, the small pumpkins exploded into purple smoke. Witch's eyes started twinkling in pure delight. ''That's awesome! Hehe~!'' She cheered.

With a weak moan, the Onryo came right back up. It was severely damaged by the previous attack, as evident by black stains over its body and inky black liquid dripping down its face. But it had not been enough to completely purify and reverse it.

''Nice try!'' Boneys complimented as he clapped his hands almost soundlessly. Then, he lowered his voice and pointed his bony finger at the Cure. ''Now, Onryo. Get her.''

With a loud shriek the monster charged at Cure Witch, who leaped out of the way just before getting hit. The Onryo jerked its head up and directed two chains towards the short girl. Who stopped it with her clenched hands, got a good grip on chains and used it to smash the Onryo against a nearby wall.

Due having no free hands, the Onryo was struggling to get back up. Boneys let out a loud gasp but didn't intervene as Cure Witch gracefully landed in front of the fallen monster. ''Let my friend go, now,'' She hissed. Pure venom in her normally cheerful voice. Again, a few unknown words creeped into her head. Witch let out a familiar laugh as she yelled at top of her lungs **''Appear, Witch Staff!''**

A long staff materialized in her right hand with a shining purple orb placed on top. Cure Witch held the staff in front of her with both her hands, slowly raising it into the sky as the orb started shining radiantly. A glowing, purple pentagram materialized just a couple inches above the orb.

**''Pretty Cure Grim Curse!''** With that, Cure Witch swung the staff down as the pentagram dove towards the Onryo. The impact caused a bright beam of light and a rather loud clang. As the light dimmed, Yuina was lying unconscious on the floor, and the people who had fallen victim to the Onryo's parade too started waking up.

''Meh, that was quite cool,'' Boneys admitted with a wry smile as she disappeared into red smoke. Cure Witch de-transformed and rushed to Yuina's side.

''You did it! You really did it!'' Jacky cheered, teary-eyed as she sat on Orlok's back. The bat flew into view and landed on Miku's hand. ''I'm so proud of you!''

People around her started regaining consciousness, and so did Yuina. ''Whuaaa….?''

Miku dragged Yuina away before the other people completely woke up, and before Yuina could even fully come to her senses again.

* * *

When Yuina finally opened her eyes, she was immediately met with two, shining blue eyes staring right back at her. Slightly startled, she backed off and found that she was lying on a bench. Miku sat with her knees on the ground next to her. Orlok and Jacky were on the short girl's lap. All three smiled back at Yuina. That moment, everything clicked. She had been attacked by that guy in white, Boneys, and after that...A big, black gap was in her memories, but she could connect the dots almost instantly.

''Morning, sleepy head ~hehe,'' Miku said with her usual grin. Her grin disappeared quickly, though. ''Sorry about today. I was being a real insensitive, selfish jerk. I didn't even listen to you and-''

''What? No! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those hurtful things to you!'' Yuina interrupted as she sat up. She clenched her hands together as she stared at the ground. ''Sometimes I just...I say mean things to others...things I regret later. I hate it. I hate being like that!''

Miku didn't say anything. She simply stood up and entangled her hands behind her back. With a grin she turned to Yuina. ''So, seems like we both have things to work on,'' Miku said as her smile grew more with each word that left her mouth. But our journey just started! And, together, I'm sure we'll get there!''

Yuina couldn't believe her ears. Miku was willing to give her another chance, despite being nothing but mean to her the past days?

This was it. Yuina felt it. This was a the beginning of a big change. A good one. And with that change came a chance. A chance to become a new Yuina. A kinder, more approachable Yuina. One who was confident, considerate and friendly. Like she had always wanted to be.

Her lips curled in a bright, sweet smile and she took Miku's small hands in her own.

''You're right. We'll take this chance to grow and we will save the world, Miku!'' Normally, Yuina would regret saying something so corny and cheesy, but these were her real feelings. She meant those words from the bottom of her heart.

And this was only the beginning of the many changes they would experience.

* * *

**ED:** 'Delusion Disco!' - Yoshino Nanjo (Yuina)


	4. Reunion

**Thanks to anyone who's still reading this and being patient with me. It's not easy being a slow, and lazy writer but all your support is keeping me motivated! **

**Special thanks to both _Nexus Schwarz_, and _SaoirseParisa_ for beta-reading and being general sweethearts.** **Be sure to check out their stories too~!**

* * *

**"Appear, Witch Staff!"** Cure Witch raised her hand high into the air, as if she were asking for a prayer from heaven. A purple light materialized from thin air before stretching into a line like shape. As the light dissipated, out came a purple staff that landed right into Cure Witch's hand. With a twirl, she pointed the staff at the Onryo in front of her and cried: **''Pretty Cure Grim Curse!''**

Purple smoke appeared above the staff and shaped into a pentagram-shaped light. With a single swing of her staff, Witch launched the pentagram at the Onryo and at making contact the chains binding humanoid monster dissolved, and the victim, a middle-aged man, landed softly on the ground, unconscious.

"Booorrrriiiinng!" Kuroneko sighed, as she was busy filing her razor-sharp claws like she was in a beauty salon. Not normally the type of girl who really cared about her look, but she at least wanted her claws to be sharp and deadly. The catgirl stood just behind the unconscious man, but she ignored him completely and she disappeared in the wind.

As the catgirl had taken her leave, the two Cures rushed to the man. They slowly carried him towards the nearest bench and left the scene. Needless to say, the man was quite confused when he awoke on a bench in the park, and it was getting dark too.

"Good work today, Witch!" Cure Fang complimented with a thumbs-up as the two were just out of sight of the man.

"You too, Fang!" Witch immediately replied as she gave her comrade a high-five. "If you hadn't distracted the Onryo, I wouldn't have gotten a chance to attack~hehe!"

Cure Fang answered with a small nod. "Now, I've gotta go. My parents must be really worried."

Witch's grin grew a little. "Hehe~ Past your curfew?"

"Something like that."

"Alrighty! But don't forget about tomorrow! Our Precure Outing!"

"Huh?" Fang raised an eyebrow. ''Our _what_?"

Witch crossed her arms and looked at the other girl like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Searching for the third Cure, of course ~hehe!"

"And Larry, and Wisp!" Orlok added, fluttering behind Fang.

Fang nodded again and raised her hand for a little wave as the bat sat down on her shoulder. "Good night."

"Nighty night, Yui!"

Their transformations became undone and they returned to being normal civilians. But none of them had any idea that they had two spectators during their fight, and even after the fight.

"W-W-Wait-!" Suddenly, a figure emerged from its hiding place, behind the bushes, stopping the two from leaving.

Yuina, Miku, Orlok and Jacky all froze into place. _Oh no._

The figure turned out to be a rather tall girl, easily towering over the two. Her deep, chocolate brown hair was tied into two little braids that hung over her shoulders in a slightly unkempt fashion. Her dark eyes noticeably avoided any kind of eye contact with either of them.

Orlok and Jacky's mouths flew wide open when they noticed the girl was holding something in her arms. It was a toy sized wolf with brown fur and a brown eyes. His fluffy fur and tail made him look rather unthreatening.

_"Larry?"_

* * *

**Op:** 'Take a Step' by ChouCho  
**Episode 4: **Sweet Reunion

* * *

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Orlok used his wings to squeeze the wolf tightly against him.

The wolf let out a shaky laugh as his breath was pushed out of his lungs. "That's...great..."

Just then Orlok released the wolf with a small gasp. "Ah. Sorry."

"Larry, we've been...I'm so…" Relief and pure happiness filled Jacky's entire body. She couldn't even form correct sentences as tears were streaming down her face, which she desperately tried to wipe them away with her vine-like arms. She was just so happy to see another one of her friends being safe and unharmed.

"Hey, Jack. Don't cry. This wolf isn't so easily defeated!" Larry reassured the little pumpkin as he gently stroked her back with his small paw like a worried parent. His voice was surprisingly low, gruff, and unfitting for his appearance. "Besides, we haven't even been attacked or-!"

"But _we_ have been!" Miku chimed in, her index finger raised with a grin. "'We faced dastardly villains, and we kicked their butts ~hehe!"

"Miku!" Yuina grabbed Miku's arm and dragged her back. Her tone was reminiscent of a mother scolding her misbehaving child. To Yuina, it seemed rather rude to interrupt a moment like that.

"So...we really have to rely on humans to save us," Larry said softly. At first, he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to give up his title, nor his ring, to some human. He had been a Precure for so long, he felt like it had become a part of him. Giving that away would make him lose a part of his identity and a part of himself. At least, that's what he thought.

The tall girl stood behind him, her hands folded protectively against her chest. As usual, her eyes were glued to the ground.

"That means you really do have to take it from here, Wakaba," At the sound of her name, the girl looked up with raised eyebrows as Larry continued. The wolf's head hanging in complete and utter shame. "I want you to become a Precure in my stead, and continue my lega-"

"Ahem?" Orlok let out a fake cough and Larry rolled his eyes as he corrected himself.

Getting the message, Larry rolled his eyes as he corrected himself. "_Our_ legacy."

The girl, Wakaba, lowered to her knees to talk to the wolf. She still didn't look directly at him though.

"M-Me? A P-P-P-Precure?" She asked. Her voice was barely a whisper, or a squeak. Finally, she looked at Yuina and Miku. Though only for a mere second before shying away again. "Like them?"

"Orlok!" Yuina whispered to the bat with a frown. She held her hands close to her face and pouted her lips. "But what about Hikaru!?"

The bat turned around, with a confused look on his face. "Uh...who?"

"Great legendary actress Hikaru Fukui!" Yuina reminded the bat, swinging her index finger like a teacher disciplining a student. "I just told you about her yesterday! She has to be our next member!"

"Ah, of course. I...remember," Orlok lied. "So, where does this human live?"

"Uh...somewhere," Yuina's face distorted into one of slight discomfort. "In Unmeigaoka."

Now it was Miku's turn to plant her face in her small hands. "Yui! That's, like, on the other side of Japan!"

Then the short girl turned her attention towards Wakaba and took a few little hops, like a lively bunny, towards the tall brunette. Wakaba timidly took a few steps backs, cowering in the presence of the strange purple girl while holding her arms up as if she was making a barrier to protect herself from intruders.

"Well, I think you're perfect to be a Precure! You're even wearing a yellow shirt!" Miku inspected the much taller girl from head to toe, like she had done with Yuina before. "I mean weren't the available colors either yellow or green?"

"Uh...that's not really how it-" Jacky started with an awkward smile but, of course, Miku didn't seem to listen.

"But...I c-can't," Wakaba protested weakly as she looked away and folding her trembling hands together. She took another step back as she was feeling that Miku was standing way too close to her. "Larry t-told me what h-happened. And about the P-Precure too."

Miku made another jump. "Great! So we don't need to explain everything! I'm Miku and you are...?"

"Wakaba T-Tsukino…"

"Nice to meet you, Waka! Oh, hey! Why don't you join us tomorrow!?" Miku suggested with a big grin and stood on her tiptoes to be at least somewhat closer to the much taller Wakaba, who was still fumbling her hands against her chest and avoiding looking at her.

"We're going to look for the third... Oh wait...We've already found you~hehe!" Miku laughed and poked her tongue out playfully. "So let's just use this as a chance to-"

"Miku!" Yuina grabbed Miku by the ear and dragged her away. "Can't you see she's uncomfortable?"

With a few blinks, Miku turned to look at Wakaba. Once she realised that Yuina was right and the taller girl was indeed very uncomfortable, she gasped and pouted sadly. "Ah! I did it again," She clasped her hands against each other and lowered her head apologetically. "Sorry, Waka. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Yeah. Don't force her," Yuina agreed with a nod.

Wakaba shuffled around skittishly. "I'm s-s-sorry."

She turned around, ready to leave but felt a surprisingly tight grip on her arm. She stopped and turned around, having to look down to see Miku.

"Uh... here's my number," Miku handed her a little piece of paper as she let go of Wakaba. "Me and Yuina will be here around twelve tomorrow. Just so you know where to go..."

"If you want to, of course. It's alright if you don't," She quickly added. Wakaba looked down at the small piece of paper before slowly nodding.

"I'll... I'll t-t-think about it."

"I'll definitely see you guys tomorrow!" Larry assured Orlok and Jacky. "Take care, okay!?"

"Absolutely. You be careful too. Oh!" Orlok said. He grasped his paw in his bowtie and handed Larry the ring with a dull yellow crystal. "Here. You may need it."

Larry grabbed the ring with his mouth. He gave his friends one last grin as he and Wakaba started walking away, leaving the four in the park. Who almost instantly rushed back to their homes too.

* * *

"ARRRGGG!"

Just as the sun had completely disappeared in the night sky, and a mysterious darkness loomed around Seinarushima, a loud, frustrated cry filled the Tsukino Manor. The origin of the sound was a single, teenage girl sitting on a comfy chair, holding a video game controller in her hands and eyes glued to the screen of a big television. She frantically pressed the buttons on the controller, controlling the little pixelated character on the screen. The tips of her thumbs throbbed from spending too much time pressing the buttons on the controller, but she barely noticed. Aiding the knight in its fight against another pixilated character resembling a black, clothed ghost-like figure.

When a loud BEEP came from the game, and the knight dissolved into many smaller pixels, that was when the cry escaped her mouth. It infuriated her so much, she had to count to ten in her head to stop herself from throwing the controller through the screen in frustration.

Why did this boss have to be so annoying!? Just jumping out of reach when she launched an attack and sending a gazillions of beams her way, which were nearly impossible to dodge.

"Hey, listen!" A voice tried to bring her attention back to the real world. But the girl had no desire to speak with anyone now. She was busy! And besides, she barely heard what the voice was saying.

"Wakaba!?"

Nothing.

"This is important!"

Still nothing.

The owner of the voice decided they had to take different measures. Larry gulped softly as he walked over to the plug of the TV, as well the game-system Wakaba was playing at. He took the plug out, using his mouth. This was a very dangerous thing to do. Not only because of the danger of being electrocuted when not careful, but also the consequences and reaction of the girl.

And another cry filled the Manor. And it worried the only other resident in the house so much they decided to check up on Wakaba right away. When the door of her room opened, Larry quickly hid underneath the wide bed. In the doorway stood a man roughly in his mid-twenties.

"Wakaba? You alright?" The man asked, stepping in the room and placing a gentle hand on Wakaba's shoulder.

"Tsuyoshi!?" Wakaba squeaked as her face turned red in embarrassment. "Was I screaming too loud again?"

Her older brother, Tsuyoshi, laughed and he poked his younger sister's cheek playfully. "Too caught up in that game again?"

Wakaba shook her frantically. Her face still red. "N-No I wasn't! It's just that the game shut off by itself!"

"That's odd."

"Yeah!"

Her brother took a quick look behind the television to search for a clue. He then saw the so called reason for the abrupt end to Wakaba's play-through. The cable wasn't in the power plug anymore. How it fell out was a mystery to Tsuyoshi. He shot her a wry smile while rubbing her head like a puppy. "I know you get real excited when playing, but just be a little more careful, okay?"

Wakaba nodded slowly. "Okay."

Just as Tsuyoshi left the room, Larry carefully appeared from his hiding spot. A deep frown glued on his face. He looked dead serious.

"Sorry. I had to. I really want to talk to you."

Wakaba's eyes widened. "So, you d-did it!?"

"You won't listen to me otherwise! Just listen to what I have to say!" Larry's voice snapped as he raised his back a little. Probably to appear menacing, which surprisingly worked as Wakaba closed her mouth tightly and looked away with almost teary eyes.

It surprised Larry how two-sided this girl could be. He had only known her for roughly a week and he still had no idea how to describe his girl. Right now, and back at the park, she was a timid and almost submissive girl who stumbles upon almost every word, but a few moments ago, she was loudly and intensely screaming at the screen. It baffled the wolf every time he thought about it. If she were to use that aggression as a Cure, she could become a force to be reckoned with.

"You w-w-wanna talk about P-Precure, right?" She almost whispered and she nervously rubbed her hands together as she had reverted back to her timid self.

Larry had told her his story, and about the duties of a Cure before. Wakaba had agreed to help him look for his friends. But she hadn't really counted on being expected to become one herself. Going outside today was already a huge achievement for her, and not to mention it was just plain exhausting for someone like her.

"Wakaba, please. I truly believe you can do this!" Larry protested. "I can sense that a lot of power lies dormant inside you. It's waiting to be released. Those girls need your help! _I_ need your help!"

"L-Larry...I...I'm s-s-sorry."

The girl lowered her head. There was no way she was ready for this. Those two girls... They were leagues above her. At least, they could talk to each other and look into each other's eyes. Like normal people could. But Wakaba couldn't. She couldn't even look at them without feeling like she was being judged for whatever reason. She couldn't speak without tripping over every word. She couldn't even raise her voice when she wanted. Or voice her feelings or opinions.

"Stop saying that! ...Urg, humans," The small wolf whispered bitterly to himself. Wakaba had just proved him right. Humans were worthless, especially teenagers. Too emotional and whiny.

"Fine. I get it... I'll find someone else." Larry sighed as he slowly walked over to a bundle of stuffed animals lying in the corner of the room which has been his "bed" while spending his nights here. "That means this is our last night together. Good night, Wakaba."

Wakaba clenched her fist with teary eyes. She knew he was angry. He was disappointed, bitter, upset, and, most of all, frustrated with her.

But, maybe, Larry was right? Maybe she was the right fit? Wakaba didn't want him to leave. He could be scary, and grumpy, but since meeting Larry, she did manage to overstep a few of her previous boundaries. She managed to exit the house, for once, and to actually talk to someone outside of her brother.

The girl looked at the small wolf, lying between her stuffed animals like he belonged there. She wasn't sure if he was actually asleep or if he was just pretending to be. But she decided to leave him alone, for now. She wanted some time to think this through.

She noticed something lying on the table next to her bed. It was the small piece of paper that short girl had given her. Wakaba quietly inspected it more thoroughly. A series of numbers was scribbled on it with ''Miku'' written above it, and a small smiley face drawn right next to it.

Then the sound of slightly muffled music filled her ears. She instantly knew where it was coming from. She ambled out of her room and let her feet guide her downstairs in an almost hypnotized daze. Most people would get easily lost in the big manor and its many, small hallways. Wakaba, having lived here her whole life, knew the way like the back of her hand. She entered a room on the left and found her brother sitting behind a piano, gently playing a song. His expressions as serene as the music he was playing.

Wakaba silently stood in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt Tsuyoshi's song. Although, she was almost sure he knew she was there. Tsuyoshi had been playing the piano for as long as Wakaba remembered. Even as a boy he was often found sitting behind the big piano and pressing the keys. His beautiful melodies always calmed her down and soothed her worries.

A false note, and a sudden stop.

"So, what's on your mind?" He asked, as he turned around to face his younger sister. "You seem troubled."

Tsuyoshi completely turned around and invited Wakaba to sit next to him with a simple gesture. With a small smile, she accepted the invitation and sat down on the piano seat. "Wanna talk about it?"

A long sigh escaped Wakaba's mouth. She _did_ want to talk about it, but wasn't sure how she could explain her worries properly without revealing anything about Larry and Precure.

"I...someone…" Wakaba timidly stumbled over her words. "I was invited to-"

Tsuyoshi gasped loudly and swallowed some air before the girl could finish. "A date!? Is my lil' sis finally-?"

"N-No! Not a d-d-d-date!" The girl's face grew a red hue and she covered it with her hands. "It's just... Some girls I m-m-met...they invited m-me to hang out. But I'm not sure if..."

Without warning, Tsuyoshi threw his hands in the air with a cheer and embraced his younger sister tightly.

"I know this seems a tough obstacle, but just do it!" He simply said, having trouble containing his enthusiasm. The mere thought of his timid sister making friends and actually leaving the house to hang out with said friends, made him feel so happy. His joy bubbled over, and he didn't dare try to contain it. "I'm sure those girls will like you! You're a sweet girl. You deserve this!"

With that piece of advice in mind, Wakaba returned to her room. She sat on her bed with her phone in one hand and a piece of paper in the number. Slowly and reluctantly, she typed in the number from the paper. Even more reluctantly, she forced herself to press the 'call' button and pressed the phone against her, waiting for the other girl to pick up with bated breath.

One ring. Then another. Two more. Was Miku not answering? Wakaba sighed once more. She figured she wouldn't answer. Of course. But then...

_[Hiya! Miku Sumire speaking! Who is this?]_

While her voice sounded slightly different over the phone, there was no doubt about it. This was definitely the purple haired girl from before.

"Uhm… Hello, Miss Miku. This is Wakaba Tsukino, from-"

_[Waka! You really called~hehe!]_ Miku interrupted her with a joyful voice. Even without seeing her, Wakaba could almost feel the big grin on the other girl's face. _[Is there something you wanna ask?]_

Wakaba took a look at Larry, still sleeping between the stuffed animals. His head rested gently against a soft teddy bear with round, beady button eyes. Now that Wakaba looked closely, all of her stuffed animals stared at her with their eyes. It was almost as if they were encouraging her instead of judging or scrutinizing her.

"Yes! Yes, there is!" As her gaze turned away from the toys, she didn't notice Larry open one eye and stare at her.

"Ehm… Can I…?" Wakaba stopped mid-way her sentence and took a deep breath. "Can I still c-c-come with you guys t-tomorrow?"

Again, without seeing her, Wakaba knew for sure Miku made a little jump.

_[OF COURSE YOU CAN!]_ The girl's voice was so loud Wakaba held her phone away from her ear to prevent becoming deaf on the spot. _[If you tell me where you live, I can pick you up!]_

"But...if y-y-you say it like that...it s-sounds like-" Wakaba whispered, more to herself than Miku. Right then, her brother's words echoed in her mind.

"_A date?" Date. Date. Date._

With that, Wakaba's face pretty much turned into a fresh tomato, and she pressed her free hand against her face in an futile attempt to hide her embarrassment.

_[Waka? You still there?]  
_  
"Y-Y-YEAH! I'm here!" Wakaba squeaked abruptly. Now Miku had to hold her phone away from her ear.

Then, after calming down again, she told the other girl her address.

_[Hmm. Never heard of it.]_ Miku mumbled softly on the other side of the line. _[But we'll find it, don't worry!]_

"If you w-w-want...you two could c-c-come here, and we could...uhm...hang out?" Wakaba said, starting to feel a little more comfortable with talking to the other girl. But only a little. ''I'll p-p-p-prepare some s-snacks...if you'd like."

_[Hehe~! That would be great! If it's no trouble!]_

"N-No. It's not."

_[Alrighty. Is twelve o'clock a good time to meet? Well, see you tomorrow, Waka!]_

"That's f-fine. Take c-c-care, Miss Miku."

_[STOP!]_ Miku cried suddenly and it shocked Wakaba so much, her phone almost fell out of her hand. _[I won't accept a friend to call me 'Miss Miku'!]_

Wakaba's cheeks turned red again as realised that the other girl had just called her a 'friend'.

"Uhm….M-M-M-M-M-Miku?" Wakaba finally managed to sputter out.

_[BINGO!]_ Miku squealed like a little child on the other side.

Wakaba gathered up some courage. "See you t-tomorrow, Miku!"

* * *

The next day, Yuina and Miku went to the address Wakaba had given Miku over the phone. To their surprise it was quite a long walk. Yuina continuously yawned during their trip, still not entirely awake. She had really wanted to sleep in late this time, something she hadn't been able to do since this all started.

Yuina and Miku's mouth fell open once they had arrived at Wakaba's house, or rather _manor_ as it turned out.

The house in question was large and stood taller than anything else in the neighborhood, resembling one of those fancy European houses one would see in horror movies, only now it was daytime. The house was made entirely of stone, reaching about three stories high, with windows on almost every wall. A black metal gate guarded the house, and a small doorbell was on the right, low enough for Miku to reach.

"SHE'S RICH!?" Yuina gasped while feeling herself shrink while looking at the intimidating manor. The manor stood tall and strong, towering over them. For a moment, Yuina felt as though she were a baby ant and the manor was a giant ready to climb right over the metal gate.

Miku finally closed her gaping mouth. "I had no idea! She didn't _look_ rich!"

"Oh god. I don't look presentable like this!" Yuina lamented, regretting putting on casual clothes. All she put on today was a hot pink shirt and skinny black jeans. Not exactly clothes befitting of going to a rich person's manor. "It's too plain!"

"You're not meeting royalty or something," Orlok reminded them with a sigh. "And it's not _that_ big," He added with another sigh as he used one of his paws to press the bell, to the shock of both Yuina and Miku.

With a loud clank, the gate unlocking automatically and slowly opened up to the two. Orlok quickly hid in the pocket of Yuina's coat. The two girls exchanged some unsure looks for a while, until the door of the manor slowly opened and a head shyly peeked out.

"Wakaba?" Miku sheepishly waved at the girl and was the first to take a step forwards. Yuina followed her soundlessly.

Miku gushed over the beautiful architecture with shimmering eyes. "I didn't know you had such an awesome house!"

"It's nothing special, really," Larry said as he appeared next to Wakaba's feet. "Orly's house is bigger, right?"

With that, all eyes turned to the bat, who had just hopped out of his hiding place in Yuina's coat. He nodded hastily as he shot a glare towards Larry.

"You can c-come in," Wakaba forced a small smile on her lips as she motioned the others to come inside. They silently followed Wakaba and Larry through the spacious halls. Inspecting the many paintings on the walls, some portraits of presumably family members, some paintings of landmarks and even a few sculptures of various animals, like birds, bears, and deers here and there.

"Ah, I don't think I have formally introduced myself yet," Yuina started meekly, trying to sound as polite as possible as she took a bow. "I'm Yuina Akagawa."

"Ah, you're h-hurt?" Wakaba gasped as her gaze fell on Yuina's hand, which was still a little red and swollen from the fight a few days ago.

"Oh, this? Stupid accident. It's healed already. No big deal."

Orlok turned to her with a frown. His eyes avoiding hers for some reason. "You sure it's completely healed? Already?"

"Yeah. I don't feel any pain," Yuina shrugged and waved said hand around. "It's fine."

The group quietly followed Wakaba through the hallways. Each footstep echoing louder than the previous. Eventually, she stopped in front of a brown door with a silver plate on it. The plate simply read "Dining Room."

Slowly, Wakaba opened the door and the group was met with the image of a long dining table, filled with all kinds of snacks on fancy plates. From simple potato chips, to fruits, to warm pancakes, and even pudding, and various cakes in the middle to top it all off.

"You call these simple snacks!?" Jacky cried as both Yuina and Miku started drooling. Yuina closed her mouth and nudged Miku with her elbow before the girl could jump at the food.

"Don't be r-rude!" Yuina hissed, bowing down to match Miku's height. The shorter girl snorted with a frown.

"Look who's talking!" She hissed back. A grin soon appeared on her face. "You're drooling all over yourself~!"

"Am not!"

"You were~hehe!"

Yuina covered her mouth with her hand. "Not."

Orlok and Jacky exchanged some looks and smiled wryly at Larry. Wakaba, on the other hand, stared at the two girls with a sad expression plastered on her face. She looked down.

_'So, they want me join them in the fight to save Larry's world? They seem to be such good friends. I'll probably only get in the way,' _Wakaba thought, her eyes darting from Yuina to Miku. But, she was so deep in thought that she barely heard what the two were saying.

"You're always like this! You should learn to behave and not make a fool out of yourself!"

"Oh, but what about you then? You're scaring our potential new member away with your unlikable personality and whining!"

"Better than being annoying like you!"

'_They're even good enough friends to argue like this. They'll probably make up right away,_ Wakaba thought, feeling less and less comfortable by the second. What if they didn't want to come here at all? What if they only came because they wanted to get their ring back? Wakaba reached in her pocket and pulled out the ring Larry had left on her bed yesterday.

Once she had returned to the real world, she saw that everyone else was already wolfing down all the snacks they could get their hands on.

Then, loud footsteps in the distance were heard as they walked in a distinct rhythm.

''Hah, time to meet the chef,'' Larry said before tackling a confused Orlok and Jacky and dragging them under the table, just as someone swung the door open rather abruptly. Both Yuina and Miku jumped a little.

"Now, ladies, is everything according to-?"

"Ah!" Miku interrupted him as she forcefully chomped down one last bite before waving at the man that had just entered the room. "Are you Wakaba's dad? Hi!"

"Uh... Hello! Actually, I'm her brother. Tsuyoshi's the name," The man said with a polite smile. Tsuyoshi looked like he was in his mid-twenties with the same brown mess of hair that Wakaba had, only without the braids. "I take it you're her friends?"

Miku could see Yuina glare daggers at her and mouth the word "Stupid!" to her. Miku let out an awkward giggle before sinking in her seat in embarrassment.

"My brother is t-t-the one who m-made all of this. He w-wants to become a chef," Wakaba explained softly, as nervous as always. She looked at her brother for approval, who nodded proudly.

"Yep. Someday, I'll get my own restaurant!"

Yuina clapped her hands together as politely smiled at Tsuyoshi. "That is admirable! I hope you succeed in fulfilling your dream, sir."

"Hahaha! You don't have to call me 'sir'. But anyway, I couldn't help myself when my lil' sis said friends would be coming over," Tsuyoshi admitted and scratched his cheek with a smile. "I kinda overdid it though. So, you don't have to eat it all."

Tsuyoshi crossed his arms proudly, before gasping and quickly adding: "But, please, give me feedback! Is it passable?"

Yuina and Miku exchanged looks as Tsuyoshi nervously awaited their verdict. They both smiled at turned to the chef himself.

"I give this cheesecake eleven out of ten points~hehe!"

"And this pancake is delicious!"

Tsuyoshi let out a loud laugh. "Thanks, kiddos. Oh, well, I'll leave you three alone for now! Have fun with...uh...girl stuff~! I guess...?"

With a grin, and a motivating thumbs up to his sister, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. But, even with the door closed, they could still hear him let out a small cheer before the loud stomps from his feet revealed he was out of earshot. Larry, Orlok, and Jacky emerged from the table.

"Your brother seems very nice," Yuina said calmly before taking a bite of a pancake caked in powdered sugar.

"He's amazing! He can do a-a-anything!" Suddenly Wakaba seemed a lot less stiff and meek as she was busy admiring her older sibling.

Larry then cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone present as he placed his ring on the table. "Orlok, Jacky, tell us everything that happened while I was gone!"

Orlok quietly stared back at the small wolf. He was mentally preparing himself to revisit those awful memories yet again. He took a deep breath before starting the story.

* * *

_(Eyecatch 1: Yuina is holding the Pumpkin Box, with Miku, Wakaba and the mascots circling around her. The box opens and a lot of candy falls out of it, raining down and completely burying the group under a pile of candy. One by one, Yuina, Miku and Wakaba's heads pop out from candy. Orlok, Jacky and Larry also jump out of it. Larry growls and starts scolding the girls as everyone sweat-drops. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

_(Eyecatch 2: Jacky rolls around on a table with a kettle next to it. She smiles as the camera zooms out to reveal Cure Witch standing beside the kettle. She grins and throws some ashes in the kettle, causing it to explode. In the black smoke, the Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)  
_

* * *

"That was...eventful, to say the least," Larry laughed with a bitter undertone after Orlok and Jacky finished their stories. He turned to Wakaba and then to the ring still on the table. He didn't say anything, but the dark expression on his face said more than enough.

Wakaba's eyes crossed Larry's just a second before they darted to the ground. She knew precisely what he wanted to say. "But...they d-d-deserve better than useless, c-cowardly m-me."

"What d'you mean?" The small wolf asked, still frowning.

"It's not like I-I'll be useful to you g-g-guys. I'll only g-get in the w-way and-"

Then, with a loud cry Miku jumped up in her chair and made a cross with her arms. Wakaba stopped mid-sentence. "S-T-O-P!" She spelled it with every syllable loud and clear, like a first grader attempting her first spelling test. "Stop that _right now_!"

"Eh?"

"Don't you dare bring yourself down like that!" She lectured, still standing on the chair. "I won't allow that kind of negativity in my glittery mess of magic that is Precure!"

Yuina face-palmed and let out a loud groan. "Urg...Mikuuuu..."

Wakaba looked down. "You t-two have been fighting so g h-h-hard, and for so long..."

"Not for that long actually," Yuina added, her smile formed in a half-grin.

"Even if I were to j-j-join you to save Larry's w-w-world. I would only g-get in the way. Look at m-me, I'm nothing. I c-can't do anything. I'm not smart. I'm not s-s-strong. I c-c-can't even look you in the eye right now," Wakaba whimpered, her stuttering getting worse with every word she spoke. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop any tears from springing forth.

"Hey, I'm small and scrawny, and people don't really like me because I can be a little too hyperactive at times," Miku admitted out loud. Inside though, she was always one to find it surprisingly hard to point out a few of her flaws like that. It almost felt like rubbing salt in your own wounds. So, she turned to Yuina

"On the other hand, Yuina here is always grumpy and negative all the time! She whines like crazy, too!"

"Hey!" Yuina found herself offended by that comment.

"But that's just who she is! And she's working on it! I am too!" Miku acclaimed, as she exchanged glances with Yuina. For once, Yuina smiled and nodded in agreement.

"And with a little help, I'm sure you can change too~!" For some reason Wakaba didn't understand, Miku's simple words tug at her heartstrings, and, somehow, made her feel slightly better. No. A _lot _better.

Wakaba didn't get a chance to say anything because a pain-filled cry was heard, muffled by the thick walls of the room.

"W-W-What was that?" Wakaba stammered, fear growing back on her face. Yuina took the lead this time and was the first to rush out of the room.

"Oh god. It's you again..." She frowned, but something in her stomach turned. She was face to face with the image of another Onryo, and a familiar catgirl standing on the other side of the hallway, a smug smile on her face. The others quickly followed her. Wakaba grew even more pale at the sight of the Onryo.

The others quickly followed her. Wakaba grew even more pale at the sight of the Onryo.

''Tsu...Tsu...T-Tsuyoshi?''

"Don't worry, we'll turn him back to normal!" Yuina shouted.

"Go somewhere safe," Miku reassured Wakaba with a grin. She had her chest out and stood on her tiptoes to look at least slightly taller. "Let the professionals handle this ~hehe!"

Wakaba nodded reluctantly and she, along with Orlok, Jacky, and Larry, dashed back into the room they came from. Yuina and Miku took one last look at each other, they nodded and held out their hands.

"**Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!"**

"**Pure blood lust, defeating you is a must! The charming vampire of the night, Cure Fang!" **

"**Hocus Pocus, it's time for you to focus! The magical monster of spells and curses, Cure Witch! Hehe!"  
**  
Wakaba pressed her hands against her ears, hoping to block out the noise from the fight. She stood with her back against the door and was shaking like a leaf in the rough wind.

"Wakaba, are you okay?" Jacky asked softly. Worry was written all over her. Wakaba looked at her for a moment, but averted her gaze again. She slowly inched closer to the door and carefully peeked from the doorway, seeing the fight up close. Yuina and Miku, both transformed, kicking and punching her seemingly zombie-fied brother. It hurt seeing her brother like..._that_. Unnatural, and unhealthy looking skin, twitching movements, and those big, heavy-looking chains wrapped around him. Once in a while, he launched one of his chains towards one of the girls, who swiftly dodged it or simply punched it away with their bare hands.

"**Pretty Cure Fang Bi-**Aah!" Fang attempt to dug her teeth in the chains were cancelled by a long chain slamming against her face and sending her flying to the wall. The attack left a nasty, freshly developing bruise on the right side of her face. She rubbed it painfully before standing up and landing another kick to the Onryo.

Kuroneko followed Fang with her eyes. The Cure in pink was definitely more directly offensive than the purple one, who stayed by the sidelines only aiding her teammate with a kick or punch every now and then.

"Appear! Witch Staff!" Witch was desperately trying to summon her weapon, reciting the incantation over and over as she extended her hand and tried to concentrate all her energy into it. "Appear! Witch Staff!"

But nothing happened, making her quite frustrated. Constantly having to evade attacks didn't make her any less distressed. "Come ooooonnn!"

Meanwhile, Cure Fang was grabbed by the chains once again and was thrown across the hall, landing next to where Kuroneko was observing the fight. The cat girl smirked as she stood over her. She grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and brought her close, her smirk disappearing. Once she made eye contact, the cat girl's expression turned dead serious as she stared deep into Fang's eyes.

"If I would kill you, right now...would you-?" Kuroneko whispered, sincere curiosity plastered on her face. There was not even a piece of the usual playful cruelty she usually had.

"Fang!" Witch leaped towards her comrade only for Kuroneko to pretty much throw Fang at the purple cure. The Onryo raised it arms and circled two of its chains around them, holding them firmly into place as they struggled to get free. Fang kicked her legs up and down in a futile attempt to break free, to no avail. Witch squirmed and writhed like a worm. Not even that worked. Kuroneko extended her already long claws to an even longer, sharper, length and approached the fallen cures slowly. Her smirk revealed she had every intention to follow up on her threat to destroy them. Her eyes were completely fixated on the two Cures.

And she didn't realize a newcomer running up to her before it was too late and Kuroneko was met with a surprisingly powerful and painful punch in her face, causing her fall over in recoil. She immediately jumped back up and landed on all four as hissed viciously at her attacker. She looked like a feral beast. Breathing heavily, the hair on her tail stood upward, making it fluffier than it was supposed to be, and her cat ears folded backward.

"HOW DARE YOU, HUMAN!?" She cried as she saw the identity of her attacker was nothing more than a simple human.

Witch gasped. "Wakaba!?"

"Stupid! Get away from there!"

Wakaba stood protectively in front of the two Cures. Her arms wide open and her left hand balled into a fist.

"I've made my c-choice!" Her voice cracked as she spoke. While towering over the cat girl in length, Wakaba was still very, very afraid. She closed her eyes to hold back her tears. _Be strong. Be strong. Gotta save Tsuyoshi. Gotta save my...friends._

"I'm n-not running away anymore!" She declared as she opened her hand, revealing Larry's ring. "I may be awfully s-shy, not good at d-d-dealing with p-p-p-people, or with my own fears… But both Miku and Yuina are giving it t-t-their all and fighting hard for the s-sake of everyone's happiness... So I will, too!"

With that, she slid the ring on her finger and recited the chant Larry had told her before.

"**Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!"**

* * *

**ED: **'Delusion Disco!' - Emiri Kato (Miku)


	5. Cure Wolf Unleashed!

**At this rate, I'll finish Monster Mania in 30 years, if I'm lucky ;)**

**Also, special thanks to both Nexus Schwarz and SaoirseParisa for beta-reading. Be sure to check out their stories too!**

**Anyway,**  
**MERRY (LATE) CRISIS EVERYONE AND A GOOD NEW YEAR~ HERE HAVE SOME SUFFERING(tm)**

* * *

**"Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!"**

Wakaba slid the ring on her finger with a firm expression lingering on her face. Even though the cat girl's eyes were fierce and almost glowing, making her shiver inside, she forced herself to keep her head high and stare right at them.

But her newfound confidence started wavering as nothing had happened when she had recited the incantation and put on the supposed magical ring. No flashing lights, no transformation, no magic… absolutely nothing.

"Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!" Wakaba tried again, her voice going up an octave, barely hiding her developing desperation.

"Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!" Soon she found herself repeating the same words over and over. Her voice grew louder and shakier with each word that left her mouth. "Boo Boo B-Bogey! Monster Ch-Ch-Change!"

Kuroneko still stood before her, but didn't do anything. She merely stared and blinked, trying to process what happened. Once the realization hit her, she didn't even try to hold back her laughter.

"OH. MY. GOD. _HOW PATHETIC_~!" She cackled at the top of her lungs, bending over in a ninety-degree angle, like she was about to throw up. The cat girl wrapped her arms around her chest in hopes of calming down her irregular breathing. Still, watching the insecure Wakaba make a fool of herself overran any pain her body had from her laughter. "This is _too_ funny!"

Wakaba's confidence had completely shattered as she shrunk back, her head lowering as her hands flew to her chest. Even as she walked backwards, she couldn't turn her widening eyes away from the cat girl, who continued to laugh at her failed attempt at a transformation.

Tears started forming in the girl's eyes again. Her world began shaking and turning, like she was caught in some violent tornado. Kuroneko's laughs echoed through her mind, and banged her eardrums. Wakaba's eyes turned to her palms. Slowly turning her hands around the look at the ring on her finger.

"If something doesn't work out," Tsuyoshi's clear voice suddenly rang through her mind, amidst all the noise. "_Make_ it work out."

She clenched her fist, forced her eyes shut, and before she knew it she had punched Kuroneko in the face, again. The cat girl let out a weak whimper and gently rubbed her face with her hand. A few gasps were heard in the distance, but Wakaba forced herself to land another punch. This time, Kuroneko saw it coming. She managed to see the fist flying right at her. Before it could land on her face, Kuroneko held up a hand, blocking the fist easily.

"How... _rude_!" In an instant, Kuroneko's laughter had ceased, her expression morphing into the very picture of pure rage. Her irises shrunk and her claws grew once again. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

In a moment she was holding the tall girl up by her throat and held her close. Wakaba gave a weak gasp for air, feeling her airway close. No air went inside. With her free hand, Kuroneko reached for Wakaba's hand in an attempt to get the ring. But Wakaba simply clenched her fist harder until her knuckles started to turn white.

"GIVE IT TO ME, NOW!" She hissed in the frightened girl's face. Despite everything, Wakaba still refused to give up the ring. Ignoring Kuroneko's command, she squeezed her eyes shut and kept her weak fist clenched.

Cure Witch was the first to get on her feet, with Fang quickly behind her. As the Cures dashed towards the two, in a flash, Kuroneko's anger had completely dissolved and she merely grinned at the two before disappearing in a wave of smoke with Wakaba in tow. With that, the two Cures were left with only the Onryo.

Fang hissed some foul words unfit for a teen's mouth as the realization hit her almost immediately. Witch, on the other hand, wasn't that quick on the uptake. All she did was stare blankly at the place where Kuroneko and Wakaba had just been.

"Noooo… no… nonononono," Once it did hit her, it was like her heart being smashed into tiny pieces. Her blood ran cold as Witch fell to the ground, her hands pressed against her head and letting out some incomprehensible murmurs.

This didn't just happen. There was no way...

There was no time to mourn, or even think, as the Onryo took this chance to attack the two. Fang grabbed Witch by the arm, more roughly than intended, and pushed her out of harm's way.

"Stupid! Get a hold of yourself!" The pink cure cried, although it was obvious that she was very stressed herself. Not that was she willing to admit it. But her loud, shaking voice and trembling eyes were enough to give it all away.

**"Pretty Cure Fang Bite!"** Cure Fang forced herself to use her attack against the Onryo, biting down in the chains until they broke. Just as Tsuyoshi returned back to normal, the two Cures quickly made their escape before the man would wake up and realize that something, someone was missing.

There was no way they could face him right now. They had to calm down first.

* * *

**Op:** 'Take a Step' by ChouCho  
**Episode 5:** Cure Wolf Unleashed!

* * *

"Bro… um…" Kurenai meekly approached her brother, who sat reading one of his books. He looked up with a curious, yet slightly impatient expression. "Um… about my fangs," Kurenai nervously shuffled her hands together. "They haven't... grown back, yet. It's been quite a while. Normally they would return fairly quickly, right? But why is it taking so long? You think I'm… um…" She wasn't sure how to continue. She quietly removed one of her black gloves to check her hand. "Um…"

Shinku's expression softened and put his hand on her shoulder. "Of course not. You're as healthy as a bat."

As much as she wanted to believe his reassuring words, a tightness in her chest stopped her from doing so. Her fangs hadn't grown back in a while. That in itself was worrying. To her, at least.

"Hey, how long has it been since the last time we were in the Human World?" He added quickly, in an attempt to keep his sister's mind off whatever was bothering her. He almost immediately regretted asking that question.

Kurenai frowned suspiciously at his question. Normally, even a mere mention of the Human World was met with an almost disgusted scowl, and a frightening glare, from her older brother.

"_Looonnngggg_," She decided to answer with a sigh. She was not in the mood to say too much in danger of ticking her brother off and hearing him palaver on about how filthy humans are. She had heard those too many times and would like to avoid them in any way she can.

"Kid, I know exactly what you're afraid of," A hollow chuckle echoed through the room. The sibling turned to only other person with them, Boneys. "You think you're… uh… "sick", right? But take it from me, kid, you're completely safe. Healthy as a bat, haha."

All he received was two pairs of eyes staring back at him, one curious and the other irritated. Boneys chuckled and continued. "The whole… uh… teeth issue is because being exposed to direct daylight drains you a lot. Especially when it's been very long since you've seen it, and especially because you're not a pure va-"

Shinku let out a fake cough. It was clear he wasn't pleased. "We get it. Keep your thoughts to yourself, please."

"Okay, okay. Just wanted to clear that up," Boneys smiled casually, holding his bony hands in the air as he watched Shinku exit the room.

A good minute after he left, Kurenai awkwardly approached the pale man who still sat in the same spot, staring at the television, For once, it was actually on, showing some silly variety show. Boneys watched it with only mild interest.

"Didn't expect you to know that about vampires," Kurenai began softly. Both curious and suspicious about the man, she decided to sit down next to him.

Again, Boneys let out an empty laugh. "Of course I do, kid. After all, I used to be one myself."

Kurenai's smile dropped immediately. He used to be a vampire? Since when, and _how_? She didn't get a chance to say or do anything about that revelation because a familiar voice rang through the hide-out.

Kuroneko walked into the room, a slight frown on her face. "Ah, only you two are here?"

The only reply she got were two shocked expressions and a long, dreadful silence.

"Sooooo... this plan went a different way than I intended," The cat girl broke the silence, seeming a little disappointed. "But we can work around it. I already have a new plan."

"Wait… who is that girl?" Boneys gasped at the sight. Kuroneko was casually carrying an unknown, unconscious girl in her hands. How Kuroneko was so easily able to lift and hold the girl much taller than herself puzzled him. That short cat girl was strong. He made a quick mental note to stay on her good side.

Boneys frowned lightly. "She's not…?"

"-A Precure, right?" Kurenai finished, locking eyes with Boneys and exchanging some unsure glances as the cat girl shook her head with a smile.

Kuroneko let out a giggle at the memory. "She tried to be." She dropped the girl on the cold ground. She was still out of it and completely motionless, aside from her chest rising and falling in tune with her silent breaths. "Normally, I'd say this human is utterly useless. But.."

With another giggle the cat girl opened her hand to reveal the yellow Hollow Changer. "This might be very, _very_ interesting."

* * *

Yuina paced back and forth in front of Miku, who was sitting on the nearest bench. They needed to calm down, rationalize their thoughts, and come up with a plan to get their friend out of this mess. But Yuina couldn't find a way to calm herself down. Her anxiety and guilt grew bigger with each step she took. Worse than that, anger was spilling forth from Yuina, like an erupting volcano. It had to go somewhere, and Yuina was not one to keep her anger inside.

Against her better judgment, she swirled in Miku's direction, letting the floodgates swing wide open. "Thanks to you we just dragged an innocent person in this mess! Why are you so selfish and stupid!?"

A part of Yuina was mortified by the words coming from her mouth. But she couldn't stop them from pouring out like an ongoing waterfall. It was what she felt right now and she needed to get it all out. "Do you even care if someone gets hurt because of you? Or is it just that you want to play hero and-?"

"Yuina. Stop." Orlok's voice was firm and clear, indicating this was not the right course of action. Somehow, it was enough to instantly shut Yuina down. She slowly sat down next to Miku, as if she had just been defeated by a great foe.

"... I'm sorry," Yuina's voice shrunk back to a small whisper.

"Don't worry about it ~hehe," Miku's smile looked more forced than ever. "You're right. If I had only let her be… then Wakaba wouldn't be in danger right now."

Not even that forced smile could hide her grief. The short girl buried her face in her hands. Her voice cracked slightly. "Oh Yui. I _really_ messed up this time. You're right about everything. I got so caught up in my desire to find our new Cure, that I didn't think and consider Wakaba's feelings. I made her believe she was the one, while she actually wasn't."

For the first time since they had fled, Larry spoke up. His voice was oddly quiet. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You couldn't have known this would happen."

Jacky fidgeted nervously with her vines as she sat on Miku's lap, looking up at her partner and shooting her a comforting smile.

"He's right," Orlok agreed, placing a paw on his chest. "For now, we have to find a way to-"

_"MURDER THEM ALL! ANARCHY, BLOOD, CHAOS, DEATH, AND DESTRUCT-"_

All of them made a little jump at the sudden loud noise. A slightly muffled, shrill voice screaming at the top of their lungs. It was painfully unpleasant for everyone's ears. In fear, Jacky had jumped out of Miku's lap and landed on the ground.

Miku groped through her pockets and revealed the source of the noise. A small phone that wasn't hers. Yuina narrowed her eyes at Miku, who awkwardly fumbled with the phone. Flipping it open with a flick of her wrist, the minute she stared at the screen, she went wide-eyed, like she had seen a ghost. All while the shrill voice continued screaming about… violent things she was in no mood for repeating.

"Make it stop!" Jacky implored tearfully, her vines wrapped around her body as if to shield herself from the noise.

Yuina, also not able to bear hearing the screaming anymore, snatched the phone from Miku's hands. Any annoyance she had instantly withered away as she saw the words on the screen.

_'Calling: Big Badass Bro'_

"Wait… is this…?" She turned to Miku with big eyes. "Did you... take her phone!? _Oh my god, Miku_!"

Miku's face scrunched into a guilty, yet awkward smile as she nodded slowly, like a child that has been caught egging someone's house on Halloween night.

"You stupid!"

The shorter girl held up her hands in defense. "Hear me out, Yui! If her brother finds out that we're all gone, what's the first thing he's gonna do? Call Wakaba! And when he sees her phone lying somewhere in the house without her, he's gonna know something is wrong!"

Yuina winced. Good point. ''I guess you're right, but…"

"So, let's just send a message saying that we decided to have a sleepover or something!" Miku announced. Surely, that would help, right? Yuina didn't have it in her to answer. Her head was spinning.

Larry cleared his throat loudly, enough to get the group's attention. "I've been staying with Wakaba for a while now, and I'm completely sure that she isn't the type to go on sleepovers with some random girls she just met.''

Yuina and Miku exchanged some glances. Another good point. Wakaba was always a timid girl. For all they knew, her brother wouldn't buy their story. God, this was too much. For once, both seemed completely exhausted and lost.

"But we have to send something! I'll just say we went out to the mall or something," Miku said as she was already typing. She tried her hardest not to read the previous messages Wakaba had sent her brother. Oddly enough, he seemed to be the only contact in her phone aside from 'Dad' and 'Mom'.

* * *

"This plan seems completely unnecessary," Onibara quipped.

"Come on, Oni!" Kuroneko smile dropped for only a second. "You trust good ol' me, right?" She added another giggle as Onibara stared back at her warily. The woman sat comfortably on her throne, though her expression was more doubtful than anything.

The demon frowned. "Of course, I trust you. But I don't _understand_ you."

"You don't have to. My mind is too complex to handle~!"

Onibara couldn't help but silently agree with that sentiment. At least Kuroneko knew she was certifiably insane. But even that had its detriments.

"Fine. I will let you have your fun. We'll see how it plays out. Who knows, maybe this will defeat the Precure for good," Onibara said as a handful of vines rose from behind the throne. Each of them lingered above Kuroneko dangerously, like a predator ready to attack its prey. "But if, in any way, that Hollow Changer ends up back in the enemy's' hands…"

The cat girl laughed like she heard a funny joke, completely unafraid of the threat. "Right, right. No more catnip for me." Kuroneko disappeared as soon as the last word had rolled over her tongue.

* * *

Tsuyoshi had replied almost immediately after Miku had sent the message.

_[That's awesome! Have fun with your friends! ;D xxx]_

He believed it completely, thank goodness.

After that, Yuina had decided that she needed some time to think. She needed to clear her mind. In the state her thoughts were in right now-that is, a colossal mess-she probably wouldn't be able to put up a good fight anyway. Deep inside she knew she was abandoning Wakaba. God, she hated thinking such awful thoughts. She didn't want to think she was abandoning Wakaba, but it still felt like she was. On the other hand… what could they do at this point? They had no clue where to even start looking.

Besides, Miku would probably go on about splitting up so that "something happens" anyway.

Now, she found herself, once again, in the Supernatural section of the Lucky Library. Orlok sat quietly on a nearby shelf as Yuina paced back and forward through the rows.

She looked at Wakaba's phone, still in her hand. Of course, she had taken the phone with her. Yuina absolutely didn't trust Miku with it. Who knows what kind of stupid messages she would send to Wakaba's brother, maybe even revealing their identities and what happened.

This was bad.

This was _really_ bad.

What if they couldn't find a way to get Wakaba back?

What would they tell her brother?

What would they tell the police?

Yuina wildly shook her head, desperately trying to tell herself that it wouldn't come to that. Don't be so negative all the time and-

_"MURDER THEM ALL! ANARCHY, BLOOD, CHAOS, DEA-!"_

As the phone started buzzing and screaming again, Yuina also started panicking again. In her panic she managed to evade a copy of 'A Thousand Ways to Spread Your Hatred of Life'-What kind of books had that title anyway?-someone had thrown her way and instead, without realizing, had thrown the phone towards the thrower, Ms. Belmont.

Yuina was quite surprised to see the librarian catch the phone going her way with a ninja's reflexes. But she was even more surprised to see the librarian out of her seat. "Phones are supposed to be off in the library," She reminded her in a very stern voice that left no room for funny business.

She flipped the phone open and silenced the phone with a few button presses without batting an eye.

Yuina took back the phone awkwardly. "Of c-course! I'm sorry, it's just that… uh… "

"Please, refrain from doing it again."

"Understood."

After a long silence, Ms. Belmont softly said, "I didn't know… that you had an older brother. "

Yuina's mouth twitched. "I don't… He's just a… friend. Yes, a friend! It's a nickname!" Yuina cried out with a surprisingly high voice. "That's his nickname." She repeated, a little softer this time and dashed back to her seat.

So much for having time to think…

* * *

"She was angry again, wasn't she?" Miku let out a long sigh as she carried Jacky and Larry in her hands while walking through the streets. Cars passed them as she dragged her feet along at a very slow pace. She was too busy counting the paving stones. "No matter what I do. I always make Yuina angry. Sure, I understand. She needs her 'thinking time' but still… " Miku continued with a pout. "Wouldn't it be better if we tried to think of a solution together? We can't just let Wakaba down when she needs us!"

Neither Jacky nor Larry spoke and a silence fell as Miku slightly quickened her pace.

And then came to a sudden halt.

"Would Wakaba be angry at me too? I won't blame her…" She almost whispered as the normally lively sparkles from her eyes started to dim. "After all… it's pretty much my fault she's… _No_! I can't think like this!" Miku stopped herself almost instantly and shook her head. "That is not the magical girl way! Always stay optimistic and believe in your friends, and yourself!"

Larry shot Jacky a confused glance. "What is up with her? Talk about mood-swings… "

Miku let out a triumphant laugh as she stared at the sky.

"I have a great idea~!"

"And… that is… ?"

"Apologize! To Yuina! _And_ Wakaba, when we find her!"

Larry frowned deeply but refrained from speaking. He shot Jacky a confused glare, which she returned with a timid smile.

* * *

Yuina could hear Miku enter the library from her seat. Even though she sat in the farthest and quietest corner of the library, Miku's booming voice was as loud as ever. Yuina was surprised Mrs. Belmont didn't hear it and come over to scold them. Then again, she had had enough scoldings for one day.

"There she is," Orlok gave Yuina a soft smile.

Not even a minute later Miku appeared before them, holding both Jacky and Larry in her hands and with a triumphant grin plastered on her face. "I knew you'd be here! I know my friends very well~hehe!"

Jacky meekly shushed her, holding her vines in the air. "M-Miku...We're in a library. You know that, right?"

The girl gasped and lowered the volume of her voice. Only slightly, though. "Oops! I forgot! Anyway, I'm sorry if I made you mad again! But I want to look for Wakaba together!" Miku tried, very hard, to whisper, with varying results.

"Made me mad? No, no! That wasn't because of you, stupid!" Now Yuina raised her voice, and almost immediately sank back in her chair and covered her mouth with her hand. She continued with, "I'm kind of a mess right now… it's just... We failed, Miku. We failed… and now Wakaba's…"

Slowly Miku leaned closer and actually managed to whisper this time. "Yui...are you afraid? Of finding out what happened to Wakaba? Do you feel responsible for what happened?"

Yuina turned to Miku with big eyes but didn't even get the chance to open her mouth.

"I do... " Miku confessed as she placed a hand on her chest. "That's why I have to save her! _We_ have to save her! I can't do it without you, Yui!"

"... Miku…" To say that Yuina was touched would be an understatement. Miku understood exactly what they needed to do. Perhaps they should have done this from the start, Yuina assumed.

"That and I don't wanna seem like a spotlight hog~hehe!"

Yuina tried to keep her frown steady, but couldn't help but smile. She let out of a sigh as she gave Miku a soft smile. "You… You sure are something."

"Now, there's a girl who needs us! Let's go save her!" Miku added and pointed to the skies as if making some dramatic declaration.

Orlok fidgeted his wings together. "Um… how?"

"I have no idea!"

* * *

_(Eyecatch 1: Yuina is holding the Pumpkin Box, with Miku, Wakaba and the mascots circling around her. The box opens and a lot of candy falls out of it, raining down and completely burying the group under a pile of candy. One by one, Yuina, Miku and Wakaba's heads pop out from candy. Orlok, Jacky and Larry also jump out of it. Larry growls and starts scolding the girls as everyone sweat-drops. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

_(Eyecatch 2: Larry and Cure Wolf are standing on top of a hill, staring at the moonlit sky. Larry looks at Wolf and gives her a nod, as Cure Wolf puffs her chest forward and attempts to let out a howl. Her attempts end in a coughing fit instead. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

* * *

"This is a stupid idea."

"Didn't we decide that we wouldn't sit and wait for something to happen!?"

"But walking around randomly isn't helping either!"

Time sure flies when you're mindlessly roaming around, worrying your head off and have no idea what to do. It's like falling in a rapid river without knowing how to swim and not knowing where you're headed. Not really a great way to spend your time.

"Face it, Miku, just walking around isn't going to work. It's already getting dark! "

Jacky pressed her vines against her face and hid herself in the pocket of Miku's jacket. "Oh no, not again… "

Larry glanced from Jacky to Orlok with a scrunched expression.

"These two… are hopeless," He whispered to himself.

"Hm…" Miku stopped and stroked her chin thoughtfully. Then made a sudden jump and slammed her fist in her palm. "That's it! We gotta split up! Something's bound to happen that way!"

There it was.

Larry buried his head under his paws and tried his hardest to suppress his irritated growl. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" He cried out.

"I know, right?" Yuina agreed.

"Ahh, come on…you gotta admit things do always happen when a group splits up!" The short girl pouted while holding Jacky. She looked at the small pumpkin for confirmation.

"_Bad_ things happen, yes," Yuina answered instead with an eye roll.

"True… but it was just a suggestion…"

"A _bad_ suggestion," Larry sighed.

What happened next made everyone freeze up. Some leaves rustled, a familiar giggle was heard, accompanied by an… inhuman growl.

The source of at least one of those sounds sat casually on a lamppost. They looked slightly bored, but their eyes revealed a dangerous, bloodthirsty glow. In perfect sync both Yuina and Miku grabbed their Hollow Changers and, in a flash of pink and purple, they were transformed.

**"Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!"**

**"Pure blood lust, defeating you is a must! The charming vampire of the night, Cure Fang!"**

**"Hocus Pocus, it's time for you to focus! The magical monster of spells and curses, Cure Witch! Hehe!"**

"Uh… you didn't even realize us following you? You are even more incompetent and dense than I thought," Was the catgirl's reply. "But, I have to admit that seeing you two insult each other was quite amusing."

"You want another punch in the-... wait.. 'us'?" Fang nervously scanned the area. The street they were in was dark, _really_ dark. It was like the light had been sucked out of the area almost completely. The only light source were the few lampposts here and there, and even then, they didn't even provide enough light to see everything.

"Who cares about that? Now... where is Wakaba?" Witch demanded with the most fiercest look Fang had seen on her. The purple cure had absolutely wanted to make sure no innocent person would get hurt on her watch... but it had, and she wouldn't let it happen again. Fang could almost feel the burning determination blazing from her very being.

"Come at me!" Kuroneko challenged, stood up and opened her arms wide. Witch instantly and leaped towards her, clenching her fists. Channeling her rage to them and ready to unleash them into the cat girl's face.

She wasn't ready, however, to get a painful kick in the stomach and was sent flying backwards. Luckily Fang managed to catch her before colliding with the hard ground.

"What was that?" Fang whispered hastily as she shot a look to the their left. The shadowy figure that had just hit Witch retreated in the darkness. "An Onryo?"

Fang held out a hand in front of Witch as she took a quick glance to Kuroneko, still not moved from her spot.

"Summon your staff, now," She whispered to her comrade.

"Appear, Witch Staff!" Witch followed the other Cure's command and outstretched her hand, only for nothing to happen. "Ugh, it's not working... _again_!"

"Focus harder, stupid!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" Witch barked. She wished this dumb staff would appear. Why did it have to be so difficult?

Before she could try again a shadowy figure jumped out of the shadows. Fang took a step back in horror, pushing Witch back with her, as she got a good look at the creature. It barely resembled an Onryo, though it did have various chains tied around its chest, it more closely resembled a tall beast.

A wolf to exact.

It was covered from head to toe in thick, coarse hair and both it hands and feet and all ended in sharp claws. It stood on all fours, like some kind of feral dog and eyed the two girls with its glowing, yellow eyes.

"_What_ is that?" Fang breathed and found her courage slowly sink away. Even hunched over like that, the beast was already as tall as Fang. "That's not an Onryo, right?"

"Uh... a werewolf?" The purple Cure replied softly and shot a quick glance at the three critters hiding somewhere safely in the shadows. "F-Family of Larry maybe?"

Then a certain thought creeped into her mind. "Or… maybe… ? No… no way… "

Then, the beast shook with a mighty roar and charged at the two.

* * *

_Those two._

_They wanted to hurt her. Kill her._

_She had to protect herself. Defend herself._

_She had to eliminate the danger._

_Those two._

_They were the danger._

* * *

As the beast charged forward, the two Cures scattered across the battlefield, Fang to the left and Witch to the right. The beast immediately went after the smaller of the two like an aggressive animal hunting its prey. Cure Witch leaped in the air to avoid getting caught and landed a, not as powerful as she would have liked, kick near the beast's neck. The beast only took a step sideways and released another roar, as if trying to scare her away.

Witch raised her hand once more. "Appear, Witch Sta-aaaAAAaaa!" Before she knew it, she was laying on her back with the beast towering over her. Thick saliva dripped and oozed from its wide open maw filled with fearfully sharp teeth to match its claws.

It was strange, though. The beast avoided eye contact. It's yellow eyes darted from left to right constantly, anxiously looking everywhere except for the thing right in front of her. It almost reminded her of…

"It… it really is you... ?"

"Witch!" Cure Fang swallowed hesitation and charged towards the beast, which was hunched over a fallen Cure Witch and ready to shred her into even tinier pieces.

No, Fang wouldn't let that happen.

**"Pretty Cure Temptation Kiss!"** The words escaped her mouth effortlessly as Fang placed her index finger against her lips, shot a kiss towards the beast. Said kiss manifested as a storm of bats, made out of pink light, fluttered towards the monster.

The impact of the attack sent the beast against a nearby lamppost. It whined like a hurt dog and used its arms to support its heavy body.

"A new attack?" Fang had no time to admire her newest attack further and instead instantly followed the beast and started unleashing her most powerful punches. At times like this she was surprised how improved her stamina and power were while transformed.

"Fang…? Fang… FANG, STOP!" She could hear Witch call weakly, but Fang was too focused trying to, at least, weaken this beast down. "_Please_! _STOP_!"

"Don't be stupid!" The pink Cure called back. "You'll get ki-!"

After enduring a few hits, the beast took this chance to strike back. It let out another roar and send Fang flying with a single push. Then it straightened up, easily towering over the two, as if trying to come off as intimidating. It was breathing heavily while its head twitched. Fang rubbed her sore shoulder and look up to see Cure Witch stand in front of her, facing the beast. She slowly took a step closer to it, and it only roared in response, as if sending a warning.

Witch flinched slightly. "Don't be afraid... We're not going to hurt you," She cooed in a soft, caring voice.

"Uh… we're not?" Fang asked in the softest voice she could muster.

"We're not," Witch repeated, more firmly this time. "I'm... I'm sorry for kicking you, Wakaba."

Now it was Fang's turn to flinch, her mouth having fallen agape. "Wait, what!?"

Wakaba?! That Onryo was Wakaba? How was such a thing even possible? This had to be a dream. A very cruel dream, or, at the very least, an elaborate prank. Even so, Witch stood her ground and continued to speak to the beast in a soft voice, like she was talking to a scared puppy.

"You're hurting in there, aren't you. You're scared, right?" Witch asked, keeping her voice low and calm so as to not scare it.

The beast hunched over again. It seemed… confused.

"I don't know what they did to you," Witch turned to Kuroneko, who didn't seem intimidated by Witch's threat in the slightest. "But they will pay."

"You really want to know?" Kuroneko quipped, flicking her finger at them in a tsk-tsk manner. "Well a Hollow Changer plus some magic we normally make Onryos with equals… interesting results, don't you think?"

**"Appear, Witch Staff!"** Kuroneko blinked in mild surprise as she saw the purple Cure summon her weapon and leap towards her, her lavender eyes flared with intense fury.

The catgirl managed to leap back just in time and landed softly on the ground. Evading Witch's attack, she leaped into the darkness. Witch landed next to Fang, her weapon pointed towards the beast.

Witch's hands trembled slightly. **"Pretty Cure Grim Curse!"**

A purple pentagram shot towards the beast, who evaded it with a hysterical roar.

"Whuaa… I missed!?" Witch cried, clenching the staff tightly.

The Cures stood in a defensive position, waiting for the beast to lash out again. Instead it just shook and waved its claws around randomly. Fang took this chance to take a good look at the beast, but she couldn't find any resemblance to Wakaba at all. How did Witch even know…?

Well, maybe she was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time she was wrong.

"That sure was embarrassing~!" Kuroneko's voice suddenly echoed around them. At hearing the catgirl's devious giggle something snapped in the beast and it returned to its feral state in a second.

The beast finally rose up again and let out a loud roar, shaking the area. Fang braced herself against the vibrations but then noticed something. A tiny specter of light on beast's chest, just barely visible behind the thick fur.

Fang placed a hand on her chest. The heart emblem on her costume felt warm. "Think you're up for one last attack?" She softly asked her comrade, who was already looking quite tired from using too much energy.

"... Of course~hehe!"

"You sure?" Fang asked again. Witch's breathing was quick and short, but she offered a thumbs up to reassure Fang she was okay.

"I'll hold it down and you shoot," Fang said, biting her lip as she eyed the beast. "Aim for its chest, and _not_ my head, okay?"

"Hehe... Got it."

After a deep, although shaky, breath, Fang pushed aside her fear and dashed towards the beast. It responded with another roar and an attempted slash. The pink cure countered it with a kick to the beast's arm. While not strong enough to really hurt the beast, it still bought her enough time to escape and get behind it.

Fang grabbed the chains tied around the beast's chest as tight as she could, and took another deep breath.

**"Pretty Cure Fang Bite!"** She cried and bore her teeth deep into the chains. Though it didn't feel as uncomfortable as the previous time, she still didn't like the feeling of cold metal against her teeth. At this the beast started blindly flailing around, crying and howling in absolute panic. Fang forced her eyes shut and tried to held on, until the chain finally broke and she landed a few meters away.

**"Pretty Cure Grim Curse!"** Witch took this chance to land her attack. She shot another purple pentagram at the beast, this time hitting it right in the chest as it was engulfed in a gray light.

Fang heard a soft, quick gasp behind her. She quickly returned to Witch's side, who definitely seemed ready to faint from exhaustion at any moment now. She was using her staff to support herself, like a man trapped in a desert in desperate need of water. A smile was still on her face.

The beast was still engulfed in a light, with colors quickly changing from gray to bright yellow. In a single moment it dissolved and something, no _someone_, jumped out and landed in between Kuroneko and the two Cures.

It was a tall girl with golden eyes. Her hair was a mess of dark brown locks tied in a ponytail with a yellow and brown ribbon, two pointy, just as hairy, ears poked out of the sides of her head.

She was dressed in a yellow, sleeveless top with a yellow heart emblem hanging from the collar, proving that she was indeed a Cure like Fang and Witch. She wore a brown skirt with a chain serving as belt and matching brown shoes with fur linings. The most notable difference between her and the other Cures were a bushy tail and paw-like hands that were covered in thick, brown hair.

**"Howling high, full moon in the sky! The ferocious beast of the moon, Cure Wolf!"**

"What…?" Was the first thing that came out of Fang's mouth. Witch didn't say anything but her excited expression spoke more than a thousand words. "...Why does she have a tail? That's stupid."

Cure Wolf, on the other hand, still stood with her back to them. Her golden eyes focused on Kuroneko. The mere sight of the catgirl made her furious. And she needed to release all of that fury. That frustrating, piled up feeling of fear that had morphed into unrestrained rage.

"You," She growled with a low voice. "You used me... to hurt them! _Unforgivable_!"

Wolf clenched her fist, or paw, and charged towards Kuroneko, who she punched so hard she was thrown up in the air and when falling, Wolf repeated the punch shooting the catgirl back up again.

"She's awesome!" Witch cheered, her eyes sparkling brightly.

Fang shook her head and she bit her lip, a little drip of red appearing. "No… she's _terrifying_."

Watching the savage display of the new Cure fighting the almost defenseless catgirl, Fang couldn't help but feel a little tense. Was this brute really Wakaba? The shy, nervous girl from before?

The yellow Cure let out another frustrated roar, grabbed the fallen catgirl by the collar and throwing her down into the ground, and down again before she could do anything else. She followed it with a kick to the left, then a punch to the right, another punch to the left, kick to the right… throwing the catgirl around like a ragdoll. She was absolutely powerless against the surprisingly powerful force of the new Cure.

Cure Wolf stopped, taking a moment to breathe.

"Heh, can't say I'm used to being the punching bag. I mean, that's what we have Boneys for..." Kuroneko laughed to herself as she looked to the ground, hiding her face. "Now, Cure Wolf, why don't you embrace your anger once again? Looks like there is still some left in you… I know for a fact it's unhealthy for werewolves to bottle up anger~!"

The yellow heart emblem still had a fragment of black substance in it. Slowly growing with every passing second.

"S-SHUT UP!" Wolf cried out as her voice cracked. She beat the catgirl straight in the face, ending her brutal beatdown with another attack.

**"Pretty Cure Lunar Eclipse!" **Like with Fang and Witch, the words suddenly came to her, like it was something that had been engraved inside of her heart. Cure Wolf summoned a glowing crescent moon and kicked it with all her might like it was a soccer ball, sending it flying towards Kuroneko. It circled around her. Too bad Kuroneko took this precise moment to disappear in red smoke, rendering the attack useless as it merely dissolved into yellow sparkles.

Wolf finally let out a relieved breath, sank to her knees, and de-transformed on the spot. She was exhausted. All of them were. Fang and Witch followed her lead. They de-transformed and rushed to her side.

"You okay?" Miku immediately asked.

"That… w-w-was…" Wakaba couldn't finish her words drowned in sobs and gasps, shaking like a frightened animal as she shrank back into her shell once again. She felt sick, nauseous, and every muscle in her body was screaming.

What had she done? Being consumed by her own rage had been so frightening.

The other girls exchanged worried looks, neither of them really sure what to say or do.

The darkness in the area seemed to have ceased and Orlok, Jacky, and Larry rushed towards the three.

"What happened in there? You were suddenly g-gone," Jacky said with a frown, then noticed the newcomer. "Oh! Wakaba, you're okay!"

Yuina let out a sigh and she told them everything that happened the last few minutes in almost a single breath.

"So... they corrupted it... they corrupted my Hollow Changer... " Larry whispered slowly, like he had a hard time processing this revelation. "Unforgivable."

Orlok tapped his foot nervously. "This is worrisome. Who knows what they could do with the other Hollow Changers, or maybe even yours if they get their hands on it?"

While the three tiny creatures chatted with each other, the two girls turned to Wakaba, having still remained in her spot.

"Shall we walk you home?" Miku offered as carefully as she could in fear of making the situation worse. She placed her small hand on Wakaba's trembling one, but the latter instantly flinched back upon contact and slapped it away.

Wakaba crawled back and embraced herself tightly, taking deep breaths in hopes of calming herself down. She was so lost in her own distress she seemingly had forgotten the others were there.

"Please... l-l-leave me alone... I'm a m-monster… "

"Hey! Please, calm down!" Yuina snapped with a high pitched voice. Seeing the tall girl shaking and crying like a stressed animal made Yuina feel more than slightly uncomfortable. It seemed like Wakaba's anxiety had started rubbing off on her.

"Yuina!"

Yuina opened her mouth to protest but couldn't muster the courage to do so when she saw how absolutely miserable Wakaba looked.

"Sorry."

Without any warning, Wakaba turned on her feet and ran while clutching the ring to her chest.

* * *

Despite all the abuse she just went through, Kuroneko didn't seem nearly as hurt as one might think. Sure she had a few bruises here and there and but her face was warped into a mix between grin and scowl.

Okay, there was one thing.

Her right eye was bleeding. It _hurt_. It hurt like hell.

"That… that… " She hissed and let out a spiteful curse. "... Cure Wolf... "

"K-Kuroneko!? Are you okay!? Oh my god…your eye!" Kurenai was the first to rush to her aid, quickly followed by Boneys. Shinku didn't move from his spot next to Onibara's chair, even after Onibara approached the catgirl.

The demon folded her hands together, her expression unreadable. "What happened to you, Kuroneko?"

"I lost that Hollow Changer and now there's another one. Heh, they produce quicker than rabbits, am I right~?" The catgirl laughed mockingly. "By the way, Oni, this is a great chance to back up your threat and dispose of me... since I failed you."

"What do you mean? I never said I would... ?"

Another giggle. "Your eyes certainly did, Oni."

Kurenai blinked in surprise as she realized what Kuroneko was implying. "W-why would you?" She took a look at the fallen catgirl, who returned her gaze with a disturbing smile.

"Uh... are you… really planning to…?" Boneys asked Onibara next to him. He seemed a bit more demure than normal.

Shinku finally moved from his spot. "Do it, Mistress. Kill her. She's only given us trouble! And we had it! We had that Hollow Changer if only she-"

The demon placed a pale hand on her forehead. "No." She replied firmly. "I owe you all so much. I would be ashamed to have your blood on my hands. Especially for something like this."

Kuroneko suddenly jumped back up and her face had morphed back into a deranged sneer. "Show them you're serious about this. That you're not just playing around and making empty threats, and empty promises... Hey, maybe _she's_ watching you right now! Show her you care and-"

A vine slapping her across the face (just next to her wounded eye too, it hurt!) silenced the catgirl, as she was lying on the other side of the room. Everyone was quiet as the air had become even tenser than seconds before.

"Don't ever imply I don't care about her. _Don't you dare_," She hissed in the most stern voice she could muster. Kuroneko shrunk back, but her smile remained.

Onibara lowered her hand and, without saying anything, turned around and left the room.

* * *

**ED:** 'Delusion Disco!' - Azumi Asakura (Wakaba)


	6. Bad Hair Day

Kuroneko sat down on the couch and kicked her feet up, resting them over the couch's arm. She carefully touched the side of her eye with her hand, or at least the palm of her hand in fear of poking out her eye with her nails. As soon as it touched her skin, she retreated. The wound stung like crazy. Not to mention the decreased eyesight wasn't a pleasurable side-effect either.

"Kuroneko? Are you okay?" A somewhat meek voice had awoken Kuroneko from her thoughts. Her ears lowered for a second before she realised Kurenai stood next to her.

The catgirl blinked. She hadn't even realised the other girl had entered the room. (That's how forgettable she was, Kuroneko joked inside her head.) The vampire was staring at her with worrying eyes and fidgeting with her hair.

"I'm okay! Sure, it hurts but it's not _that _bad!" Kuroneko giggled, enjoying the somewhat uncomfortable look on the other girl's face. "Shame Oni didn't kill me, right?"

The catgirl didn't think it was possible but Kurenai found a way to look even more uncomfortable.

"Your eye… It still looks…" Kurenai started, carefully picking out the words but fell silent when she couldn't find the right ones to say.

"Heh, yeah. It's not really healing like it's supposed to."

Kurenai let out a small gasp. "Healing? Wait… Don't tell me you're a vampire too?" She spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

_Of course_ an impure vampire wouldn't understand anything about monsters. Vampires weren't the only ones with healing power. How dumb and innocent. Kuroneko couldn't help but smile. "Last time I checked I wasn't~!"

"A vampire cat, huh? I like the sound of that though," The catgirl added with a grin.

There was a long, long moment of silence before Kurenai spoke up again.

"Eh… I wanted to ask you something? About the new Cure?"

"Oh. Cure Wolf! She seems like the type who is fun to tease," Kuroneko replied as she leaned back. "And! The kicker is, she's a werewolf… a girl like _that_. A werewolf! That's just hilarious."

Kurenai stared at her blankly. Of course, she wouldn't understand.

"You see, the more werewolves lock up their feelings, their fear, their frustration… the more aggressive they become when transformed. And, wow, she was _really_ aggressive."

"But… Isn't that a bad thing!?" Kurenai frowned. "Look at what she did to you!"

Kuroneko shrugged, but her eye twitched slightly. "It is. But it's _also _a bad thing for the other two."

"Ah..."

The catgirl broke the awkward silence before it even began. "So what did you wanna ask again?"

Kurenai blinked, like she had totally forgotten why she got here in the first place. Suddenly she made a little jump and let out a small, "Oh!"

"Let me go and make an Onryo and squish them! To avenge you!" Kurenai said, with a more confident look this time. Her voice echoed through the room.

Kuroneko instantly knew that was a load of bull. Kurenai didn't care about "avenging" her. But then again, why would she care? It's not like Kuroneko ever did anything to help her. She suspected the real reason the vampire had asked had something to do with Shinku.

"... I say go ahead. It's not like you don't need my permission anyway."

"So… uh... how do you summon an Onryo again?"

_Of course._ How dumb and innocent.

* * *

**Op:** 'Take a Step' by ChouCho  
**Episode 6:** Bad Hair Day

* * *

Wakaba had spent most of the night curled up in bed and crying.

She was so glad her brother hadn't realised how _miserable_ she had looked when she had come home the night before. Or maybe he _did_ notice and just thought it was better to leave her alone? Or maybe she didn't look as miserable as she felt?

Even though she finally managed to catch sleep, it was already past four and yet she somehow woke up before ten in the morning. Being unable to sleep any longer, despite feeling simply exhausted.

Wakaba rubbed her eyes with her hand, staring warily at the ceiling for a long time.

After roughly twenty minutes she was seated in front of her tv, armed with a controller and this time staring at the tv screen.

Whenever you're down, video games got your back!

But… she couldn't even beat level one. The easiest level of the game. The level she knew inside out.

She was too exhausted to even let out a scream.

* * *

Wakaba hadn't been the only one who had trouble sleeping last night.

Jacky had dozed off for what seemed to be the sixth time that day. Due the bag that she was in swaying around rapidly, she kept being awoken from her well-needed sleep. She pressed her body against the small box which was also in the bag.

The pumpkin warily raised her tiny body using her vines (it took her two tries). She still wasn't used to this strange body. It was very inconvenient. Jacky couldn't help but feel like she had gotten the short end of the stick when it came to their transformed states. At least Orlok could fly, and Larry still had more mobility than she had.

She peeked out of the bag. Miku came to a standstill and looked at the small pumpkin.

"Ah! Good morning, my little pumpkin ~hehe!" She greeted with a smile. Jacky only replied with a blank look and a single blink.

"Eh?"

Miku held out her hand for Jacky to jump on. Thank goodness Miku wasn't very tall because Jacky wasn't such a fan of heights.

"'Morning Jacks," Larry said, as Jacky landed on the ground next to him. "You don't really look that great… did you have a bad dream again?"

"... No, I'm just…" Jacky tried but couldn't find the right words. Honestly, she had hoped what happened yesterday _was_ a bad dream. What happened with Wakaba worried her. A lot. Back when they were Cures, Larry would often get a little carried away during fights and training… but never had he lost control like Wakaba had.

"I-Isn't this Wakaba's house?" Jacky asked, as the three found themselves in front of a familiar, large gate.

Miku nodded with a grin as she held up a small box. "Yup! I got her something to make up for yesterday."

"A box?"

"It's a cake, silly! I hope Wakaba likes cheesecake."

"Why are you so fixated on her anyway?" Larry asked, keeping his eyes on the box.

The short girl's smile grew even more. "I just want her to be happy! I want my friend to feel at ease and smile with all her heart!"

Larry scoffed. "And the other girl… uh... Yui, I guess? What about her? She sure doesn't seem like she's glad to be around you."

"Larry!" Jacky gasped.

"What!? She doesn't. She just looks annoyed," The small wolf defended. He lowered his voice to a mere whisper. "Not that I don't understand it…"

"Yui's just a classic example of a 'tsundere'. She's just too shy to say it but I know that deep down she likes my company~hehe!"

Larry took a step forward and let out a soft snicker. "So… that's why she, when you messaged her this morning, replied with "Leave me alone. I want to sleep. Don't come to my house."?"

Miku's smile still didn't leave her face. "Like I said, she's just a little shy ~hehe!"

"Okay, I'm ringing the bell, get in the bag you two!"

* * *

Tsuyoshi actually was very eager to let Miku in and guided her to Wakaba's room. During her long walk through another hallway filled with admittedly somewhat ominous portraits, she could have sworn one of them changed its face and curled its lips in a curly smile, if only for a second.

Wakaba's room wasn't as big as Miku had expected, but definitely bigger than most rooms kids their age had. It was twice as big as her own, and she had to share with her sister. Despite being quite spacious, the room itself didn't have that much in it. A king-size bed, two desks, a big television screen and a mini couch that didn't look like it was ever used, if the amount of dust on it was any indication.

When Miku came in Wakaba was leaning against the side of her bed. A controller in her hand but not really pressing any button, she just stared at screen blankly.

"Uh… Hiya~!"

Apparently just realising the other girl came in, Wakaba let out a weak cry and attempted to crawl behind her bed, as if trying to hide from a fearsome predator.

"Wakaba, come on… don't be like this!" Larry sighed. "You already did so much stuff you previously couldn't! You talked with others! And gave that cat a good slapping! I was so proud! And now you're crawling back again."

The girl looked more horrified with each word the wolf said. "P-P-Please… go…"

"Larry, stop it!" Jacky almost begged and tried to drag the small wolf away with her vines. "You're making it worse!"

"Um… If you want me to go, I will," Miku spoke, raising her voice slightly, but she had to make an effort to not sound _too_ loud. "I just want to give you this."

Miku carefully stepped around the huge amount of clothes, stuffed animals, video game cartridges, and random magazines lying around on the floor to reach Wakaba's bed. She placed the box with the cake inside it.

The short girl took another deep breath. "I also want to say sorry… what you went through… I should have been able to prevent it… but I couldn't."

Wakaba rose up from behind the bed, facing Miku and trying very hard to keep her eyes focused on her, and _only_ her.

"I wish more people were like you…" The brunette said firmly, as her hands started clutching the fabric of her sheets. "You're so b-brave!"

"Me? Well, I try to be a top percentage magical girl~hehe!"

A timid smile creeped on Wakaba's face as she finally averted her gaze, staring at her own hands instead."_I'm_ s-s-sorry for attacking you. I'm sorry for attacking Yuina… "

"Okay! So I'm the brains! You're the brawns!" Miku cheered, losing control of her volume again. Wakaba didn't seem that bothered by it this time around. "It's a great combination!"

"But Yuina…?"

"I _guess_ that makes Yuina beauty then?" Miku shrugged. "She is quite pretty, I guess."

Wakaba looked somewhat startled. "You think s-s-so?"

The shorter girl shrugged again. "Yeah, I think she'd be able to get any man, or woman, she likes! If they can handle her morning mood, that is~!" She let out a short laugh. "I wish them the best of luck!"

"So…" Miku then leaned over the bed, closer to Wakaba. "You gonna open it, yes or no?" She pointed at the small box.

Wakaba covered the lower half of her face with a hand, In an attempt to hide her glowing, red cheeks.

"Oh… O-Okay!"

* * *

Before you ask, _no_, Yuina didn't come to the shopping centre to hang out with Miku or Wakaba. She had different motives for going out today.

"They're late."

"Why don't you go inside already? You wanted to buy something, right?" A voice whispered from the pocket of her coat, Orlok's small head peeked out. "If you don't plan on hanging out with the others… then why wait?"

Yuina sighed. "Because I'm sure if Miku saw me she would not stop pestering me about "teamwork" and how I'm not a team player by going alone. So I have no choice but to wait for them."

Orlok frowned but didn't say anything. Humans were strange.

Yuina looked at her phone. 14:04. Just an hour ago Miku had send her a message that she and Wakaba would be coming to the mall at roughly 13:50.

"I didn't expect Wakaba to come too… considering what happened last night…" She said out loud. "I hope Miku didn't force her to come."

"YUI! YUUUIII!"

Oh…Yuina could recognise that voice from anywhere.

Miku ran towards her, dragging Wakaba behind her. They both came to a standstill in front of Yuina. Wakaba looked around warily, obviously uncomfortable with the amount of people around them. It was like she has never been outside before (it wouldn't surprise Yuina, to be honest.).

"I'm so happy you could come! This is gonna be great~hehe!"

Yuina crossed her arms and looked away. "Don't get me wrong, I'm here to buy something."

"Now, let's go." She added, walking towards the automatic door…

… and slammed face-first into it. The door that was supposed to open, but didn't.

The girl let out a frustrated cry and kicked the door as she rubbed her sore nose. "Stupid door!"

She could hear a soft giggle ring through her ears. Annoyed, Yuina whipped around, wearing a huge glare. "It's not funny!"

Neither Miku nor Wakaba seemed to be laughing.

Miku approached Yuina. "Poor child! Want a kiss on it~?"

"Eww, no, get away!" Yuina noticed Wakaba looking at her with intense eyes as she pushed Miku away. As soon as she pushed the girl near the door it opened.

Miku giggled. "Yui, it seems like you don't have any presence." Then she gasped dramatically. "You're not a ghost, are you?"

"A g-ghost!?" Now Wakaba gasped, trying to hide behind the smaller girl, with no success.

Yuina regretted waiting for them. "Uh… no? Seriously!? How stupid are you?"

"Hehe~ just kidding!"

"Ugh… Let's just go."

* * *

"It's them!" A voice cheered softly. A set of red eyes peeked from behind a huge sigh standing in front of a store. "Lucky! Lucky!"

Kurenai stepped out of the shadow, and rushed to the next one, evading the harsh sunlight the best she could. Wearing the hat she found in the hideout proved to be quite useful too, as did the big coat she was wearing (where did it even come from? She had wondered). Sure it was hot and sweaty, but it was better than the alternative; a painful and bad sunburn, or worse if you're not careful.

She decided to not be too suspicious and not follow them in hot pursuit. She didn't really wanted to attract their attention, in fear they'll notice and her and see through her disguise. There was no way she could take on all three of them.

"Let's see what I can find out about them!" The vampire cackled softly, getting a pen and tiny notebook from the pocket of the jacket, and rushed after the three… and walked straight into the closed automatic door, which, again, refused to open.

* * *

While she had promised herself to not let herself be side-tracked, Yuina couldn't help but try one of those jawbreaker candies they always offered for free at the sweet store. If you could actually finish it in under a minute, you would win a mysterious prize.

Yuina stopped and went over to the stand. "Hold on, I need to try this."

An explosion of sweetness filled her mouth. She wasn't sure why but the rare times Yuina did come to the mall, she had always attempted the challenge. Ever since she was a little girl who was dragged to the store with her mom. Sometimes her mom would try too, but none of them would ever finish it in time.

As Yuina was almost literally breaking her jaw trying to chew down the candy, Miku poked Wakaba in the side. "Rumors say that only one person has ever been able to finish it in under a minute."

Yuina hung her head as the shopkeeper told her one minute had already passed.

"Do you think Miss Belmont was the person who did the impossible task?" Miku asked, earning a frown from Yuina and a confused glance from Wakaba. "Because she is, you know… a vampire!?"

Yuina sighed heavily. "Please don't start this again."

"Okay, okay. I didn't expect you to be the type who actually tried this, Yui," Miku said. "But then again… a jawbreaker does fit you. Hard but with a sweet taste~!"

"Shut up."

* * *

The local department store was busier than usual.

As the three stepped inside, it was easy to see that Wakaba was a bit overwhelmed by the countless amount of fellow shoppers.

"Hey, Wakaba! They have games too! Maybe there's something you'll like!" Miku cried, in an attempt to make Wakaba feel more at ease. While she was slightly startled by Miku's sudden voice, she did give her a small nod.

"... Where are they… ?"

"Here, I'll show you!" And with that, Miku walked away with the taller girl.

Yuina couldn't help but smile at them. Maybe she was just happy it wasn't her getting dragged around this time. "You two go ahead, I'll be over at the accessoires."

"Okay!"

* * *

"Trash. Trash. All of these are t-t-thrash!" Miku almost jumped at how sharp Wakaba's reply was as she was browsing through the row of video games. "_All_ of them."

"Aw, but Capumon is a lot of fun… "

"The _older _ones," Wakaba almost seemed disgusted. She muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Miku to hear. "The newer ones are really bad. Too easy. Holding the player's hand all the time..." A sigh. "They just don't make them like they used to."

"... Okay?"

When Wakaba saw Miku's somewhat dumbfounded expression, she instantly shrunk back. "Um…I'm s-sorry… It's okay if you like them b-but... "

The taller girl stumbled over her words for a few seconds before Miku replied with a laugh. "Ah, look at you, expressing yourself like that! Showing your passion! I'm so proud of my friend!"

All Wakaba could do was hide her red face behind her hands.

* * *

Yuina instinctively cringed at the sight of herself. She never liked looking in the mirror to be completely honest.

But she had to.

This would _help_.

She tried on a few hairbands, She awkwardly forced a smile, which, obviously, looked too stiff and forced.

"Are you okay, Yuina?" She heard a soft whisper from her bag as a bat poked his head out.

Yuina shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know. I just… I want to try to look… better…"

"Better? You look perfectly fine," Orlok replied. "In fact, you remind me of a lamia I once knew."

Once Orlok saw Yuina's face he quickly added: "She's a singer! And a popular one too! Her songs are great. After everything, I'll show you some of her stuff."

She looked like some half-snake lady? Well, _that _sure boosted her self-esteem.

Yuina didn't reply, and Orlok silently returned into the bag when he saw her expression. Without a word, Yuina continued trying on a few hairbands, some jewelry, and even a couple of glasses.

But she kept returning to a certain hairband. It was black in color, with pink stripes adorning it.

She liked it. It looked good with her hair.

* * *

Kurenai masterfully attempted to not get those girls' attention as she sneaked around the store, trailing behind the magenta-haired girl and watching as she was trying on various accessories. Eventually decided to just buy a single hairband.

Kurenai snickered to herself. She could turn that silly hairband into an Onryo right here! They'll never see it coming! And it would be too crowned to fight, let alone transform.

The vampire grabbed a tiny piece of paper from the oversized coat's pocket. Thankfully Kuroneko had been so kind to write down the words to summon an Onryo.

As Yuina placed the hairband on the counter, waiting for a cashier to arrive, another familiar voice called.

"Yui! There you are!"

When Yuina was distracted by her friends, Kurenai took this chance and she grabbed the hairband and quickly whispered: "Unleash fear upon the world, On-,"

"Hey, that is mine!" Kurenai dropped the hairband in shock. The human girl staring her down as Kurenai nervously turned around, hoping the three wouldn't recognise her.

"Sorry!" Kurenai spoke in the lowest, gruffest voice she could muster and turned tail.

* * *

"So… um… how do I look?" Yuina asked immediately after they exited the store. Her bangs had been swept behind the hairband.

"It looks great!" Miku replied with a thumbs-up. "Any particular reason you wanted a hairband?"

"Because… " Yuina stopped, her face growing a soft shade of pink. She meekly opened her bag and showed them a magazine.

"'10 tips on how to be more approachable and become popular in no time'?" Miku read out loud. "Silly, you're already popular! With us!"

Yuina rolled her eyes and opened the magazine on the correct page. "It says; 'Don't hide your face behind your bangs. Show people your face. Show them yourself. Express yourself'..." Growing even more red as she said that out loud. It actually sounded so stupid.

Wakaba let out a soft giggle. "That's admirable."

"Huh?"

"Um… I mean… you're going out of your way to c-c-change… "

"Yeah! You're on your way to become A+ friend material~hehe!"

Seeing the two girls smile with her, not at her, made Yuina smile too. Genuinely.

"You guys are so… stupid… "

* * *

_(Eyecatch 1: Yuina is holding the Pumpkin Box, with Miku, Wakaba and the mascots circling around her. The box opens and a lot of candy falls out of it, raining down and completely burying the group under a pile of candy. One by one, Yuina, Miku and Wakaba's heads pop out from candy. Orlok, Jacky and Larry also jump out of it. Larry growls and starts scolding the girls as everyone sweat-drops. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

_(Eyecatch 2: Orlok is fluttering around in a dark room. He briefly smiles at the camera and flies towards a throne in the end of the room. The camera zooms in to reveal Cure Fang sitting on the throne as she rests her head on her hand and grins. The Pretty Cure Monster Mania Logo appears at the bottom.)_

* * *

That night was way better than the previous one, for everyone.

Miku seemed to have completely put aside what happened, and was just happy to bombard both of her friends with silly messages, most of them magical girls related. She desperately tried to get Wakaba and Yuina to watch 'Magical Marika-chan', but sadly spoiled most of the plot in her excitement. At least Wakaba replied back, while Yuina didn't.

Wakaba, while still being a bit edgy when she was alone, was glad that Miku decided to talk and realised she found it much easier to type than to talk to her. Reading Miku's rambles had done wonders to Wakaba's mood. And the cheesecake? _Delicious_.

Yuina, on the other hand, was busy rewatching season three of 'Secrets and Tears'.

"'Magical Marika-chan'?" Yuina said as she read the messages Miku was sending. "That show is so stupid."

When she realised she had a hard time keeping her eyes open, she decided it was time for a nap. Her mom would wake her up for dinner, she always did.

* * *

She didn't.

Yuina woke up the next day, as warm (_very_ warm) sunlight shone on her. She was still dressed in her regular clothes.

After putting on a new set of clothes, she walked into the living room and was met with the sight of her mother sitting on the couch and lighting a cigarette.

"Oh… Mom... I thought you would wake me up for dinner?"

"Sorry, dear. I… fell asleep yesterday," Her mom smiled as she rubbed the back of her head. "Busy day at the store, thank goodness it's the weekend, and I haven't really been sleeping that well lately. So I was glad to actually get some nice sleep. Don't worry, no weird dreams about you being a vampire."

Yuina cringed and shot a glance at her ring. That silly dream didn't seem that random now.

"Mom… you're smoking…?"

"You know I only smoke when I'm a little… burned out, right?" Her mom waved Yuina's concerns away like they were flies. "Have some faith in me, sweetie. You _know_ I rarely smoke. It's only one. I promise."

"Why do you think there are so many flowers in our house? I want it to smell nice," She added, absentmindedly twirling the cigarette. "And look at me. I'm ruining my own hard work. Way to go, Akane."

Yuina rubbed her arms. "Mom, can I do anything to help…?"

"No, you just go have fun. I'm gonna be lazy for once and I'll be back to normal in no time, I promise."

Her mother leaned in closer as she threw the cigarette in the empty ashtray. "I should be worried about _you_. You're going out way more than usual, and what's this wearing a hairband? You look adorable, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't even have a cute flower pattern on it. I have some that look way cuter! They _do_ have flower patterns."

"I'll be fine."

"Okay, dear. I'll be listening to my music so I probably won't hear you if you call," Her mother said as she laid down comfortable on the couch. She got her mp3 player and earbuds and closed her eyes while getting lost in the loud music.

* * *

When she tried to remove the hairband, Yuina felt a sharp pain on her head… like the hairband was clinging itself onto her head like a tick.

"... What?"

Yuina watched in horror as her hair started to glow and grow longer, wriggling around like a bunch of snakes.

And then came the headaches. She attempted to grab the hairband once more but a lock grabbed both of her palms and tied her hands together.

"What is happening!? Help!"

"Yuina!" Orlok cried and flow to her, but was quickly swatted away like a bug by her hair.

With all her strength (which wasn't much to be honest), Yuina managed to drag her hands closer to her face and kissed her Hollow Changer.

"**Boo Boo Bogey! Monster Change!" **She cried out and clenched her teeth.

Her hair stopped moving as Yuina transformed into Cure Fang.

"Are you alright?" Orlok asked with a frown as he landed into Fang's hands.

"I… I think so. What happened to me?" She asked, still looking freaked out at what had just happened. "If you know something, tell me."

"That's the thing… I don't know. I've never seen anything like it!" Orlok replied and looked away. "Was it… was it because of the hairband?"

Fang nodded. "I'm sure! It started when I tried to take the stupid thing it off! And the pain came from there!" A shaky sigh. "It's gone now because I transformed… "

Then a realisation hit her. "Does that mean I have to stay as Cure Fang for the rest of my life? That I can't transform back to my normal self ever? I don't wanna be a vampire magical girl forever, Orlok! These teeth are annoying and my outfit is stupid!"

"You'll be fine! We'll think of something," He reassured her. "Maybe Jacky knows?"

Fang shot a glance at the mirror and realised how awkward it was to walk around in your magical alter ego form in your own room. She sure hoped her mom wouldn't come in right now. That would be hard to explain, if her mom recognised her. Fang hoped her mom was still listening to her music.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Miku's number. She held the phone away from her ear before the girl even picked up, and it proved to have helped save her ears because, as expected, Miku pretty much screamed her greeting.

Fang opened her mouth but no words came out, as she and Orlok stared at her hair… which had again started glowing. Her twintails both grew longer again and the tips of her hair morphed into what seemed to be fingers.

If she weren't so terrified she would probably be worried about how stupid she looked. It was like having arms come out of your head…

Miku's voice came from the phone, already gleefully rambling.

_[Yui? What's this? Do you miss my voice and you're too shy to tell me? Or are you interested in Magical Marika-chan? I swear I love that episode where she pretty much ruined the future because she didn't kiss her love interest! But then again, he's such a boring character. So I completely understand. Oh! Another good one is where it turns out she has a younger brother and guess what? He's also a magical-]_

Fang's eyes grew wide as she watched one of her twintails open the window of her room. "MIKU, SHUT UP AND HELP ME! MY HAAAAAaaa-"

And then she was dragged, or launched, out of the window by her seemingly sentient twintails.

* * *

After losing contact with Yuina, Miku immediately took off running as fast she could. To where? She wasn't sure but she needed to look for Yuina fast.

"Waka! I don't what happened but Yui needs our help! Can you come to-" She cried carefully holding her still-dented phone to her ear.

_[I-I-I don't know… ]_

Miku found herself stopping abruptly. "Eh?"

_[What happened last t-t-time… I d-d-don't want t-that to happen again.]  
_  
"They corrupted your ring that's why you became a monster! You'll be fine this time!" Miku almost pleaded.

_[Not.. not t-that…]_ A pause. _[After...that...]_

"Oh! That was so cool! That cat really deserved that~hehe!"

_[It was not…]_

Miku started running again. "It won't happen again. I promise I will calm you down when you fly of the handle! I'll tame the werewolf in you ~hehe!"

_[... O-okay. I'll be there. I'm gonna help, Miku! I'm gonna help you save Yuina!]  
_

* * *

"Stop! Stop! Stooooop, you stupid… stupid… twintails!"

Fang felt the cold breeze in her face and she was pretty much flailing in the air. Her hair seemingly gained a mind of its own as it carried her across the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

She didn't have any air left in her lungs to scream. She must have looked so stupid right now, but that really wasn't her biggest priority at the moment. This was because of that hairband? Was it cursed? Miku would probably _love _it if it was.

"Please… stop!" She tried again, hoping the twintails would stop its rampage. What was she even doing? Talking to her own hair. Her own _hair _having a mind on its own. She just couldn't grasp that concept and, yet, here she was being dragged over buildings by her very own twintails.

And then they came to a sudden standstill. Cure Fang hang limply as her twintails held her above the ground.

"Hey, Yui. That's how far you go! You worried me, are you-"

Out of nowhere, Cure Witch landed on a roof in front of her and pointed a finger at her. Yuina's hair had other ideas, and it simply leaped over the purple Cure with ease, landing behind her.

"Whoah, I didn't get to use my introduction, hey!" Witch jerked around and her mouth fell open in confusion. "What? Her hair… did you see her hair, Jacky!?"

"I… I've never…" Jacky started as she had wrapped her vines around Witch's hat to hold steady. "Um… Is she …possessed?"

"What? I'm _possessed_!?" She could hear Fang cry in alarm. Then she felt a sharp pain ringing in her head. She felt like her head was going to split into two any second. It hurt. It _hurt_.

Jacky shrunk back at seeing Fang grab her head and almost curling up. "I don't know..." The pumpkin said, even though she was sure Fang wasn't able to hear her.

"**Appear, Witch Staff!" **Witch called out as she held her hand up high. To her surprise, it actually manifested in her hand this time. "... Uh… where do I aim?"

Before she could do anything, another figure appeared behind Fang. Jumping in the air and landing on all four on the roof.

"I… I found you… " Cure Wolf panted with a stiff look, slowly rising to her feet. She was holding Larry and Orlok in her arms.

"Huh!?" She barked out, losing her serious expression as she took in the image in front of her. "W-What is…?"

Fang's twintails quickly yanked her from left to right and then seemed to flatten, and Fang landed on the roof's hard floor.

The other two Cures exchanged some skittish looks. Unsure if it was safe to approach their friend. Fang, on the other hand, carefully touched her now limp twintails. "Seriously, guys... I don't know what happened." She started, eyes wide. "It was that hairband… I tried to take it off… It _stuck _to me."

Witch, still holding her staff, ran up to Fang and rested her free hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Yui, We will save you... with the power of friendship~hehe!"

The pink Cure replied with a deep frown. "That's not how it-…"

"Friendship, Yui, Friendship! And _Magic_!" Cure Witch clarified with a wink as she pointed her staff at Fang's head.

Fang's brow furrowed. "Uh..."

Witch opened her mouth but before the first word could roll over her tongue, Fang let out another cry of raw pain as her twintails rose again and slowly started to morph into something else entirely. They grew and transformed into sharp toothed _jaws_, not unlike a crocodile's long mouth.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING!?" Fang screamed and flailed around aimlessly. Her head was screaming, it really was gonna split open, she pretty much _felt _split into two. Witch's smile turning into a grimace one was the last thing she saw before blacking out.

Fang sat on her knees, her head lowered to nearly touch the ground. Her whimpering stopped and she slowly rose back up, wearing on unreadable expression as her face was shadowed by her bangs.

"Fang? You okay?" Witch, still standing in front of her, asked. Her free hand dangling midair. "Fang?"

The pink Cure let out a moan and lifted her face, revealing her left eye had turned pitch black while her right still seemed to be normal, but there was a single tear running down. The upper half of her had gained a slight grey-ish hue.

"Don't tell me… she got turned into a monster _again_?" Witch groaned in a rare moment of ire. She turned to the sky, as if the culprit would be there. "This is getting really old, villains! You hear me!?"

* * *

A figure bit her lip and hid herself behind a billboard on the roof at the opposite side the fight was happening. Did those pesky Precures see her? She hoped not.

"Darn."

* * *

Cure Wolf took a step back. "Is… is this normal?" She asked softly. "Is it!?"

Fang stared at Witch for a few seconds before suddenly letting out another moan, roughly grabbing her by the collar of her top and throwing her off the roof, and to the billboard on the other side of the road.

Orlok and Larry jumped out of her arms, as Wolf dived in to catch Witch before she could crash into the billboard.

Still holding Witch she pressed her feet against the billboard, using it to launch herself back to the roof Fang was on.

"My strong, wolf prince~hehe!" Witch joked. At this Wolf's face grew as red as a fresh tomato and she dropped the smaller girl without realising.

Hiding her face behind her paws, Wolf uttered a meek, "Sorry."

Fang approached them with jerking steps, almost tripping over them. She waved her left jaw-like twintail, biting in the air. Her right was more precisely and aimed for Witch and Wolf as she crawled closer to them.

Witch shot an encouraging look at Wolf, who hesitantly kicked away the jaw before it could hurt them.

"You'll be fine, Wolf. I'm here too," The purple cure said. "Let's do this together. It's like playing co-op!"

"I've never played co-op b-before…"

She shorter girl let out a giggle. "Well, for everything is a first!" She turned her attention back to Fang, who suddenly dived towards them, almost tripping over her feet.

She raised her fist with a jerking motion and both her of twintails rose up, opening their jaws. Wolf quickly grabbed the right twintail and tightly pressed it shut. It started wriggling in her grasp frantically, as did Fang, who jerked her head to her with a snarl. Forcing her eyes shut and biting her lip, Wolf kneed Fang in the guts and the monster dropped to the ground.

Wolf tackled Fang and held her down. "S-Stop, please!" She pretty much roared into her face.

With a groan, one of the jaws opened and attempted to bite into Wolf's shoulder, but she shielded her herself by raising her arm just in time. As the teeth digged into her skin, a gasp of raw pain escaped her mouth, and Wolf jumped up to kick Fang's body away from her in fear.

"You okay?" Witch asked as she had rushed to a hesitating Wolf. "Shall I do the finishing move?"

Her reply was a silent nod. Witch's face turned into a confident smirk as her attention snapped back to Fang, who twisted closer to the two. Her left jaw-like twintail opening again, as if trying to devour them.

Witch used her staff to protect herself and pressed it between the jaw's teeth.

"Finisher! Do it _now_!" She could hear Larry cry from a distance. Jacky also said something but it was by muffled out by the loud moaning of the monsterfied Yuina.

"**Pretty Cure Grim Curse!"** A purple light erupted from the staff and the twintails almost comically deflated like they were balloons. In another flash of light, Fang had turned back into Yuina and dropped to her knees, wearing a blank expression. The hairband was lying next to her on the ground.

"Yui? Yui!?"

The girl slowly turned to her two friends, while her hands rested on her head and were tucked in her hair. "Huh…?"

"Are you okay?"

"I... I have no idea what just happened," After a couple of blinks, she suddenly snapped back to normal. A disgusted frown appearing on her face.

Without warning she rose up and started crushing the hairband under her foot multiple times. "Stupid thing! This is your fault!"

* * *

"But, for real, _what happened_?" Larry asked Orlok and Jacky as they were out of earshot of the three girls. His attempt to lower the volume of his voice was met with moderate success.

Jacky shuffled around nervously. "That... wasn't possession. I'm sure of it. The Black Roses had something to do with that."

"Hm.. I didn't know objects could be turned into Onryos too, and infect people in contact with it. That must have been what happened, right?" Orlok decided to speak up. Jacky hesitated for a moment but eventually let out a soft, "I think."

"If that's the case… then we should be more careful," Orlok concluded, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Guys… do you really think… everything will go back the way it was after we defeat them?" Worry plagued both Jacky's voice and expression. "We'll be able to turn back after we defeat Onibara?"

"Duh! It'll be fine after all this is over. Our lives will go back to normal, as will theirs," Larry said with a confident smirk. "Oh! Oh! And we can meet up every Halloween! That'll be awesome, right!?"

"... But…"

"Jacky, don't worry about it. You won't be a pumpkin forever."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

And her nail finally broke from her teeth's pressure.

Kurenai poked her head from the behind the billboard, watching the group in the distance. She couldn't hear them but didn't really care.

She sat down, defeated, and hugged her knees in utter embarrassment. That wasn't supposed to happen. She couldn't believe she messed up the incantation.

She buried her face into her hands. "Nobody needs to know about this."

Suddenly, she heard a soft, purring laugh. "That didn't go that well, did it?"

"Kuroneko?" The vampire gasped as a black cat approached her. "Where do you come from?"

"I was on a walk and saw the madness happen. What fun," The cat giggled. "What did you even _do_? That was one strange Onryo. I might even say it was _incomplete_."

"I…" Kurenai started, her voice quiet. "I tried to make a hairband-"

"Oh?" The cat's tail rose. "So this is the result of Onryo-fying objects? I didn't think that was possible. _Interesting_."

"Wait… you can't do objects?"

"I always _thought_ that it wasn't possible. Since they're made of fear…"

After another awkward silence, the cat spoke up again. "If you let me borrow this idea of yours, I promise I won't tell Shinku you messed up."

"Um… sure, it's not like you need my permission or anything. "

And without saying anything else, the two retreated back to their hideout in a flash of red smoke.

* * *

**ED: **'Delusion Disco!' - Yoshino Nanjo (Yuina)


End file.
